A new application funded through a grant alerts chain of authorities in case of a school shooting
Via Andy Banker at Fox2 News Now
Police officers and tech experts picked a Columbia, Illinois school for the launch of a new, potentially life-saving tool for “active shooter” emergencies.
The school gym was full of targets (about 2 dozen law enforcement officers and school authorities selected for the event). A man posing as a shooter pulled an unloaded starter’s pistol from a backpack. The scoreboard clock started ticking, tracking the elapsed time as the “shooter” walked through the bleachers, tapping victims saying “bang” each time, signifying they’d been shot. He’d tapped everyone within 1:30 seconds.
In a 2nd run-through, Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director, Jonathon Monken, was armed with the SchoolGuard app.
He simply pushed a button. The APP instantly called 911, alerts the new Hero911 network of any on and off duty police officers within 10 miles of the school – from any agency. The APP also sent a map to the officers and every teacher in the school, pinpointing the origin of the emergency, all in 3-6 seconds.
As you can see above his new app is now not only in Arkansas, but is being reviewed in other states also.
Basically this app has 5 buttons available for different types of emergencies, and it allows authorized individuals to call first responders and pinpoints the exact location of the person who pressed the button.
Responders will be given access through the app to key personnel lists at the school, and floor plans, and, in Arkansas, will team up with the Smart911 system. The Smart911 system allows people to provide an online list of information for responders that shows information that might be forgotten in the stress of emergency, or for people unable to communicate with responders.
Retired and active officers within 10 miles of the school could respond within 2 minutes of being notified via the app.
The average duration of school shootings are 12 and a half minutes, and the average police response time was 18 minutes according to national stats. Emergency barricades, up-armored whiteboards, gunshot detection systems and bodyguard blankets have all been projects to secure the safety of students and staff in case of a shooting.
I think it’s about time we utilize the one thing that almost all people in schools have nowadays: smart phones. It’s about time an app like this was made, it’s a smart idea and I think could possibly save lives and organize panic in an emergency situation. It’s another step in the right direction.
The problem is though, it’s a cellphone app. It will alert the police but does not have any means of protecting a person standing face to face with an armed killer. What would stop an armed killer walking through the halls, looking to shoot children and staff? Armed faculty members.
Why do we continue allowing cowards to go into a gun-free zones and shoot innocent defenseless people, we need to continue to fight for our rights to defend ourselves and others. 92% of mass shootings since 2009 have happened in gun-free zones.
Its incredibly tragic that we live in a day and age where we need to arm ourselves in places like elementary schools, theaters and daycare centers, but coming up with gun-free zones is exactly the opposite of what needs to happen.
Criminals and shooters can’t be reasoned with, they idolize previous mass shooters, and set out armed and ready to do as much damage as possible. We deserve to protect our children and ourselves, and according to the Second Amendment it is our right to defend and carry.
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