Texas District Spends $43K To Add Instant Police Alert

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/29/13

Local news coverage in Waco, TX has reported that the school district there has approved the implementation of a computer service that will let schools communicate instantly with police via a click of the button. Waco Independent School District's board of trustees approved the expense of $43,664 to license COPsync for one year of coverage.

COPsync is designed to let teachers communicate with the police — and each other — faster through a network structure. The network facilitates sending notifications to all participants on the network, allowing for quicker response in locking down a campus, notifying critical personnel, and getting to the scene of the security event. The service, which works on traditional computers and mobile devices, also makes available floor plans of schools.

According to reporting by KWTX, the software will be installed in all of Waco's 24 public schools and its administrative building.

"If anyone has a situation where they feel the school needs to be locked down, they can go wherever they're at, type they have an emergency situation, and in seconds we’ll receive it," said district Chief of Police Ken Boatman.

Other districts in Texas that have adopted the service include Rockdale ISD and Sweetwater ISD.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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