Alyssa’s Law, named after Parkland shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, requires public schools to install silent panic alarms that will alert law enforcement during an emergency.

It was adopted by the state of New Jersey in 2019 and the state of Florida in 2020. In New York and Nebraska, versions of the law have been submitted to the legislature.

The CrisisAlert solution sends instant communication with the simple push of a button through visual cues and audio integration, enabling rapid response to any incident or crisis, says the company. Campus-wide alerts communicate emergency information using colored strobe lights, desktop alerts and intercom integration.

Now, the CrisisAlert badge can integrate with both CENTEGIX’s mobile app and other mobile panic applications, allowing districts to leverage existing solutions, according to the company.

“We have heard from districts about the challenges of relying on app-only mobile panic button solutions — from low user adoption rates to the multiple steps needed to access an app,” said CENTEGIX CEO Matthew Stevens.

Related: Campus Safety Pros Tell Us the School Protocol Changes They’ve Made This Year

“We created other options and an upgraded path so more districts can take advantage of the best solution and improve their safety plans on a timeline that works for them.”

CrisisAlert is said to also offer enhancement options such as a redundant, secure network, audio and visual notifications for campus-wide alerts, and integrations to video, two-way radio, and other security systems.

CrisisAlert is used at more than 700 schools across the country with 160,000 devices deployed to protect more than a million students and staff. The two largest school districts in Florida — Hillsborough County Public Schools and Martin County Schools — use the solution.

For more about CrisisAlert, visit centegix.com/education or watch the video above.

This story premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Updated CrisisAlert System Helps Comply with Alyssa’s Law appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The new wireless Trilogy Privacy Standalone Pushbutton PIN Locks solution is geared toward college campuses and K-12 schools as administrators work to reopen and remain as such by employing preventive methods, the announcement states.

Retrofitting standard locks in minutes, the new solution features an inner privacy pushbutton. After entry, using a PIN code or ID card, the user simply pushes the privacy button on the back of the lock, on the inside door, to ensure their privacy, according to the company.

The lock will not open from the front entry side until the user exits, or optionally, the privacy session “times-out” following a preset duration, after a few minutes, up to 250 minutes. A self-adhesive, bilingual usage sign is also furnished.

Alarm Lock Trilogy locks are said to be the No. 1 selling electronic standalone locks in their class, featuring fingertip-programming, vandal-proof all-metal digital keypad and/or built-in smart ID reader, longest battery life (using 5AA off-the-shelf batteries) and field-proven Grade 1 durability for low-maintenance, according to the company.

Related: Some Schools Are Reporting Large Numbers of COVID Violations: Can Tech Help?

Other options include GermAway antimicrobial finish (plus several other architectural finishes) and/or optional Keypad Guard (HW2037) that facilitates daily disinfecting and cleaning of faciliites such as restrooms.

Matching Trilogy models are available for all doors and application needs, inside and out, from cylindrical and mortise, to narrowstile and exit trim. Next-gen advanced Trilogy Networx models are networked and controlled via server/PC-network using free Alarm Lock Windows-based software or leading real-time integrated platforms.

For more information on the product, visit alarmlock.com.

This story premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Trilogy Standalone Pushbutton PIN Lock Converts Public Bathrooms to Single Occupancy appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA) distributed a survey and found more than 650 of its members from 135 districts reported issues in 12 categories, including inadequate ventilation, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies, and short-sighted sick leave policies that discourage sick employees from staying home, reports Spectrum Local News.

Most concerning, says TSTA, are insufficient accommodations for employees or their family members who are at high risk.

“The biggest issue our members are raising involves inadequate accommodations for high-risk employees or those with high-risk dependents at home,” said TSTA President Ovidia Molina. “These teachers with underlying health conditions should be allowed to teach remotely from home, but in many cases, they are being required to teach from their classrooms or risk losing their jobs.”

Below are the 12 categories and the total number of violations reported by Texas educators in the survey:

1. Non-compliance with mask mandate: 246
2. Inadequate classroom social distancing: 385
3. Inadequate ventilation or ventilation equipment: 401
4. Inadequate protective supplies (masks, etc.): 357
5. Inadequate access to cleaning/sanitation supplies: 243
6. Insufficient accommodations for high-risk school employees or family members: 435
7. Lack of school quarantine space or process: 247
8. Inadequate or inequitable availability of distance-learning resources for students: 238
9. Inadequate district sick leave policies: 337
10. Inadequate mitigation policies for lunch or transportation: 255
11. Lack of health/safety policy enforcement: 268
12. Insufficient staffing for new measures and protocols: 370

According to Austin Independent School District officials, HVAC systems are being updated at multiple campuses and the district is in the process of changing out air filters. Additional air filters and air movers are also reportedly being placed in corridors and hallways to improve circulation.

Personally, I cannot help but feel there is an opportunity for some of these violations to be lessened with the help of technology. We’ve seen increased monitoring with AI that’s used to help detect physical distancing and mask wearing violations; systems which can alert staff as to when and where a violation occurs.

Related: Temperature Scanning Best Practices and What’s on the Market

AI in schools produces its own set of challenges and drawbacks, but similar systems — which, importantly, do not store data about those being monitored — could be considered.

Suffice it to say, some compromises need to be made, especially where the health of children and school staff is concerned.

The post Some Schools Are Reporting Large Numbers of COVID Violations: Can Tech Help? appeared first on My TechDecisions.

School resource officer (SRO) Brandon Price agrees, since he has a son in his freshman year at the school and a daughter who will be high school age in a few years as well.

“It’s certainly much more than a paycheck for me,” Price says. “I want the best equipment possible for our school, and after seeing what these cameras can do, I believe it is going to be very beneficial to help keep our kids safe.”

Campus Embraces AI-Based Weapons Detection

The state-of-the-art video surveillance system installed at South Pittsburg High that Price is referring to was made possible by bringing an exceptional team of designers and installers together with cutting-edge technology designed to automatically detect guns and instantly alert authorities.

ZeroEyes, makers of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based weapons detection system, contacted Bible and Price and invited them to be part of a pilot program. Designed to help identify threats before they become violent, ZeroEyes’ technology integrates with an organization’s existing security cameras and works with security professionals and law enforcement to close the crucial seconds needed to keep people safe.

The first system of its kind in the state, according to Hanwha Techwin and ZeroEyes, the system analyzes video footage from surveillance cameras placed strategically around campus. ZeroEyes’ platform has been trained to recognize and identify any type of gun and rapidly alert authorities before a shot is ever fired. If a gun is detected, the system immediately sends a video feed and identifying data to the ZeroEyes command center where it is analyzed by highly-trained operators to quickly verify the credibility of the threat. If credible, 911 is called to dispatch first responders while messages and calls are placed to the SRO, principal and any other personnel on the notify list.

Timing is critical and every second counts, so the system and command center is precisely tuned to decrease the response time for first responders. The ZeroEyes system decodes the RTSP video stream directly before it goes to storage to provide the least possible event latency. The system also provides first responders with continuously updated real-time information during an active shooter environment, with coordinates based on a pre-defined grid system that law enforcement has trained with.

How the Installation Began

After assessing the school’s previous video security system, it was clear they would need to upgrade to a high-quality, digital IP-based video security system to be able to give the weapons detection system the resolution required for maximum accuracy. Diversified Systems, a New Jersey-based media technology and integration company, was retained to do the design and integration work while Nashville-based South Western Communications (SWC) was selected to do the physical installation of the cameras and supporting infrastructure.

During phase one of the installation, which concluded with a comprehensive simulation and drill involving multiple agencies, ten Hanwha Techwin cameras were chosen for their ability to provide the best possible video quality in all lighting conditions. The Diversified team chose a selection of Hanwha Techwin cameras including PNV-9000 multi-sensor cameras for maximum quality exterior and perimeter coverage including the parking lot, and QND-6082R dome cameras for interiors and hallways. QNO-8080R bullet cameras were used outside on the school’s entrance bridge area.

“The picture quality of Hanwha Techwin cameras far exceeds the competition. We also like the ease of set up and the price point,” says Tory Smith, director of technical operations at MCW/Diversified. “It’s important to us that Hanwha entirely controls the quality of its cameras. They build everything themselves.”

Related: School Security Systems are Failing: Here’s How to Fix Them

The school has 25 licenses of Hanwha Techwin’s Wisenet WAVE VMS to manage the video feeds and storage. A key benefit of the WAVE VMS is that it can run on modest computer workstations, which further saves on equipment costs. The final installation will have approximately 50 cameras replacing all the older analog equipment.

Lee Haston, business development manager at SWC, explains some of the more technical aspects of the new system.

“The ZeroEyes system works based on how many pixels per square foot the surveillance system can supply. The more pixels, the better the detection rate of the weapons detection technology system,” he says. “So, it really depended on how we set the cameras up, making sure that we placed the cameras in the areas that are really going to be providing the most detailed image data.”

Smith cites FBI data and other case studies that has found the average time for a mass shooter to set up and get configured is around is around five minutes or more before they fire the first shot.

“It’s precisely during this time that we want to get alerted so we can proactively react and lock down the school,” he says.

Most school shootings scenarios are reactive situations where shots have already been fired. These new technologies help put schools in a more proactive position where seconds can save lives. Timing is critical since the duration of most mass shootings are five minutes or less. Any method to slow or impede a perpetrator results in lives saved.

Being prepared for a school shooting is not an exercise that anyone enjoys, but for SRO Price and principal Bible, it gives additional piece of mind to know they’re doing all they can for their school. Day to day, the new cameras are going to provide the staff with the ability to better manage the school grounds to keep students honest, accountable and respectful of each other.

“I’m looking at the cameras right now, and it’s like the difference between standard definition and high definition of watching a ball game,” says Bible. “The image quality coupled with a proactive solution to detect weapons, makes us truly feel that we’ve invested in the highest level of security to keep our students and staff safe.”

Doug Hansel is a technology evangelist for High Rez PR. This story premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Weapons Detection Technology Keeps South Pittsburg High School Safer appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Looking to solidify its proactive approach to securing its campuses and improving potential response time by law enforcement in the event of an emergency, the Wallingford School District in Wallingford, Connecticut brought the community together following the 2018 Parkland, Florida school shooting.

The state of Connecticut was no stranger to school violence, so community leaders like Salvatore Menzo, who is superintendent of Wallingford Public Schools, understood the urgency to improve his district’s security posture and alleviate parent and staff concerns related to delayed response times by law enforcement that characterized the Parkland active shooter incident.

More than 150 parents, teachers and other town residents discussed the security and safety issues in a town forum that suggested they initiate active-shooter workshops and lockdown training for all schools.

Menzo and his team brought in Security 101  to help them plan and implement their security solution. Security 101 is a low-voltage electronic company specializing in providing integrated electronic security systems.

Access control solutions provider Sielox was selected to partner with Security 101 for the Wallingford Schools project.

Sielox offers an extensive portfolio of K-12 safety and security solutions, including access control and emergency notification and response systems that can be layered in any combination, or used stand-alone to meet a school’s specific security and safety requirements.

Menzo said the system they selected allows administrators to communicate via computer and mobile devices to first responders for all security breaches or medical emergencies.

“This is the perfect solution for our community, allowing for quicker communication than cell phones or having teachers run from one end of the school to other,” he says.

Related: Campus IT: Do Your Buildings Suffer from These Common School Safety Issues?

For Security 101 operations manager Patrick Mirto, his investment in the Wallingford School district went beyond a simple professional interest, as he was both a resident and parent in the school district.

“After seeing the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, our community really became more aware of some of the security issues we faced in our own schools. The community worked with the school district to help formulate a plan and consider technology solutions that would fit our needs and budget,” Mirto explains.

The consensus was to implement Sielox’s Crisis Lockdown Alert Status System (CLASS) in all of 12 of the public schools, including the two high schools, two middle schools and eight elementary schools.

The system met the requirement for enhancing emergency response and notification time between the schools, law enforcement and emergency first responders.

The system can potentially save lives by  issuing alerts during emergency situations and providing real-time information to emergency personnel via graphical maps, chat, email and text messaging.

The system is also designed for ease of use using simple color-coded icons that make it easy for designated staff, security personnel and teachers to use.

“By working with the community during the grant approval process, Sielox helped provide a cost-effective and secure solution that worked for everyone,” says Sielox CEO Karen Evans.

“CLASS provides vital situational awareness to responders so the Wallingford School District can better manage emergencies with real time intelligence.”

Mirto explained that the lockdown portion of CLASS integrates with existing access control and security systems already in place including the audible annunciation of a lockdown situation, blue strobe lights in higher decibel areas like gyms and cafeterias, and notification to the local police department.

An added feature allows all school-issued devices to have access to the website and equips authorized teachers and administrative staff with personal logins providing them with the ability to initiate a lockdown.

The status alerts chosen by the district includes All Clear, Medical, Class Disturbance, Missing Student and Check-in.

The office staff in each school receives notification of every status change with each status alert assigned to a specific staff member, such as medical emergencies being handled by the school nurse. The Sielox CLASS solution also requires individual teachers to check-in every morning.

“Having teachers check in serves two purposes; it allows the teacher to tell staff ‘we’re good’ while providing them with daily exposure to the system,” Mirto says.

Each school in the district will have a CLASS server appropriately sized for the school. The AC-1700 boards will provide a hard-wired interface between CLASS and the school’s existing systems.

These technology systems include NVR/storage systems; surveillance cameras; mobile devices; card readers, button panels and biometric readers; electric, wireless and magnetic locks; motion and other intrusion detection sensors; elevator and smart buildings controls; and interfaces to law enforcement communications and panic buttons.

Karen Evans is CEO of Sielox. This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post New Sielox Access Control, Emergency Response Systems appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Many school districts hire security consultants to do walkthroughs of their campuses to look for security risks. These assessments often consist of two parts: the physical assessment of each school to identify security measures and building systems unique to each building, and an assessment of each school’s operations and security policies.

All of these aspects of school safety must be reviewed and corrected when schools reopen.

Seemingly small security mistakes, such as leaving a janitor’s closet unlocked, can put students and teachers in harm’s way and cannot be overlooked.

Related: This Company Pairs Virtual Reality with School Safety Training Seminars

That is why we have put together a list of photos from actual school security assessments conducted by Safe Havens International, a non-profit campus safety organization.

Safe Havens consultants provide feedback to schools on how they can improve security but also give feedback on where they are excelling in protecting their students and staff. These photos include both do’s and don’ts.

Let’s begin: do your buildings suffer from these common school security issues?

What’s wrong with this picture?

This single-occupant restroom door locking system can pose a safety hazard if staff who work in the area are not provided with the correct unlocking wrench and made aware of how to remove the silver cover that conceals the locking mechanism.

If a staff member needs to unlock the door for a medical emergency, assault or situation where a person inside is at risk of self-harm, a bad situation can quickly become worse. Exacerbating the situation, some employees have used “super glue” to secure the covers because they fall off.

What about this?

While marking main exterior doors for emergency wayfinding is an excellent practice, marking of individual classroom and office windows can create increased risk.

For example, if an estranged relational partner wants to abduct their child to get revenge, this could help them identify their intended victim’s location when they feel security measures would likely prevent them from entering the building.

As these types of acts of violence are more common than active assailant events, the risks and benefits of this practice should be considered before using this approach.

What about this lock?

This faith-based school has installed a secure key box for emergency responders at the main entry gate and another box near the entry door. The box near the main entry door has also been installed out of view from inside the school which can allow emergency responders to approach the box without being observed from inside the school.

Responders would have to vault the security fencing to avoid being observed doing so. For this reason, some schools mount an extra box in an out of view area on the perimeter of the campus.

What’s wrong with this workspace?

The campus employee has left their photo identification card at their unoccupied desk. It could be easily taken by someone with ill-intentions to gain access to restricted areas.

What about this room?

This room in a school library has a partially closed partition, creating an area that is not visible from the viewpoint of library staff.

These types of semi-private areas are difficult to supervise, and incidents, such as consensual sex acts between students and drug usage, commonly occur in these types of areas.

What’s wrong here?

This photo depicts what are known as target identifiers. The student names and photos on the wall could be used by a non-custodial parent or another aggressor to locate a target inside the school. This tactic has been used during actual and attempted abductions and attacks across the country.

This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Campus IT: Do Your Buildings Suffer from These Common School Safety Issues? appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Districts also must prepare for the increased occurrence of medical and behavioral situations when students in remote learning environments during COVID-19 quarantines return to campus.

Traditional approaches fall short, creating weak links and blind spots that leave students at risk.

Let’s look at three potential points of failure in school incident alarm and school security systems today:

3 failure points

#1: The mobile app gap in school security systems

Ever use the fingerprint authentication on your mobile phone? Then you know how maddening it can be when it doesn’t recognize your print because your “finger moved too fast.”

Now imagine a panicked teacher trying to keep her finger still enough to open her phone and launch an alert app while a threatening incident unfolds in the classroom. During a frightening crisis, gross motor skills are challenged.

Or consider a teacher rushing to attend to a student who has a seizure. The teacher’s phone, the trigger to alert the school and responders for help, is across the room in her coat pocket or purse or locked desk drawer. She either has to leave the student’s side or try to direct a scared classmate to scramble to retrieve her phone.

Mobile apps have other limitations. A phone’s GPS cannot precisely identify the room or office where an incident is happening. Is the battery charged?

Will a coach have cellular coverage in the gym or on the practice field if an athlete suffers a serious injury? Lastly, the onus to own the mobile phone falls on the teacher or staff member. Is it fair to expect teachers and staff to pay for a device required by the school?

Mobile apps introduce too many dependencies and delays to be reliable as the first point of alert in a school incident.

#2: Wall Mounted Panic Buttons Don’t Work if You Can’t Reach Them

Safety and security incidents in schools don’t always accommodate your school security systems. A wall-mounted panic button in a classroom might be more reliably connected than mobile apps, but connection is irrelevant if a staff member can’t reach it.

We have already considered situations where a coach on the field or a teacher attending to a student might not be able to get to a wall-mounted unit.

That also goes for a staff member who sees a fight in the cafeteria or student with a weapon in the parking lot. Or, what if someone enters a classroom and threatens a teacher alone at his or her desk? That wall unit might be impossible to reach from just feet away.

Alarm triggers must be accessible immediately when a safety or security incident occurs. Just like with mobile apps, wall mounted units only work if circumstances align perfectly—not often the case in a crisis.

#3: The two-way radio is a complement, not a complete solution

“Radios were like bricks, they weren’t working.” Those are the words of Lori Alhadeff, mother of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old victim of the tragic Parkland shooting. Many states are enacting or considering versions of Alyssa’s Law, named in her memory, to require alert systems in schools.

Two-way radios or walkie-talkies can provide fast connections for people in many useful ways. The technologies have evolved with different methods and protocols for on-demand communications between pairs or among groups.

But in a school crisis, they present limitations that can delay or prevent critical response.

The devices themselves can be bulky and impractical for every teacher and staff member to carry and have readily accessible in an emergency.

Related: Campus Safety Summit Explains How Schools Can Reopen Safely During COVID-19

Many radios do not provide critical location information. All the school security systems and responder organizations might not be connected to effectively communicate across needed channels and jurisdictions.

Even the push-to-talk function of hand-held radios can be tough to use in the chorus of voices during an emergency, particularly with half-duplex systems that only allow one speaker.

Two-way radios can serve as a valuable tool for quick verbal communications in general use or in emergency protocols, especially for schools that have already invested in the equipment. But they don’t provide a complete safety response solution.

Knowing the gaps in traditional school security systems helps define the characteristics of an optimal school emergency response system.

The most capable solutions that best secure the safety and well being of students and staff meet the following criteria:

5 Criterion to Consider

#1: Address all types of emergencies, daily incidents and crises

We tend to think first about how best to prevent and respond to tragic school shootings, but school shootings remain statistically rare.

Schools have a less than 1% chance of ever being in an active shooter situation, according to nonprofit campus safety organization Safe Havens International.

But schools do face a variety of health and safety incidents every day. Accidental injuries, fights, weather emergencies and fires are more common events that require unique, rapid responses to keep students and staff safe and sometimes save lives. According to the CDC, more than 200,000 students under the age of 14 are treated in the hospital for playground injuries each year.  High school athletes alone account for an estimated 2 million injuries as well as 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.

According to the National Institute of Health, 68% of school nurses manage life-threatening emergencies.

This is why schools should choose emergency notification solutions that best address all school safety incidents, as well as provide the greatest protection and response in the worst-case active shooter situation. Some questions to consider:

• Does the emergency notification solution let staff quickly respond to a student medical emergency or a fight on the playground?
• Does it enable the front-desk personnel to request help without escalating a situation with an irate non-guardian demanding to see their child?
• What if a domestic dispute erupts in the parking lot during a student pickup?

Schools also can gather real crisis scenario examples from teachers and staff to ensure that their emergency notification solutions will address all incidents they will likely face.

Given limited funding, this helps schools to prioritize their investments to cover and respond to more of the most likely incidents.

#2: Make It Available to Everyone, Everywhere

An emergency notification system can only save lives if it’s available. Staff must be able to request help or initiate a lockdown from anywhere on campus, whether it’s the classroom, the playground, the parking lot or the stadium. As the Center for Homeland Defense and Security has reported, nearly half of school shootings occurred outside the school building. Accidents, injuries, fights and other response events occur in all corners of the school grounds.

This best practice of “anyone, anytime, anywhere” was cited in 2013 after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary and repeated in the MSDHS Safety Commission’s report following the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. To maximize accessibility and coverage, every teacher and staff member should wear a mobile panic button (such as a badge) at all times and be able to trigger a response without depending on wifi or cellular connection.

#3: Be Easy and Fast to Use

Every second saved in an emergency—whether in requesting help or providing critical information to responders—improves the chances for a positive outcome.

An analysis of 41 school shootings between 2008 and 2017 by the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center found that two-thirds of attacks lasted less than 2 minutes.

Nearly half were over in less than 60 seconds. Time is also critical when responding to an allergic reaction, an altercation, or an athlete’s injury.

An alert system should require very few steps for any staff member to request help. One-touch activation by clicking a single button on a body-worn device is simpler and faster than retrieving a phone from a drawer or pocket, turning it on, authenticating and launching an app—especially under duress.

Those seconds are precious when a safety incident or threat unfolds.

#4: Quickly and accurately communicate information

Technology can automate the rapid sharing of information critical to responders and everyone affected. For a teacher in the panic of an emergency, relaying even “simple” information such as name and location verbally can be difficult.

Alert devices and apps should be assigned to specific users, identifying them automatically when they request help.

Notification solutions should also be able to pinpoint and communicate the exact location during an emergency. GPS solutions are not able to identify locations to the exact room.

Solutions that include an IoT mesh network that can relay the exact floor and room where an incident has occurred is imperative for responders to be able to react quickly and effectively.

#5: Communicate clearly to the entire school community

An effective response solution must include multi-sensory input in order to reach everyone involved in a campus-wide emergency. An optimal security solution will entail both audible and visible cues both inside and outside on campus.

Intercom announcements often inform and direct people during these types of events. Automated, pre-recorded announcements specific to each type of incident ensure a clear, complete and concise message.

They also eliminate potential confusion or delays of a manual message, particularly if administrators are not able to get to the intercom.

Instructional messages displayed on computers and phones can also be extremely beneficial to those on campus not well versed in protocols (substitute teachers, volunteers, visitors) who require more complete information.

Administrators often receive incident information from local authorities when they are away from the campus, so they must be able to initiate communications and proper responses to incidents remotely.

All school security systems should be linked to quickly provide key information to local police, paramedics, EMTs and other certified first responders. The key is maximizing awareness and information to all those affected.

School emergency alert systems can get crucial help to the scene quickly, no matter the nature of the safety event. Ask the right questions to ensure the solution you choose is fast, ready, and available anytime, anywhere in or outside of the school building.

Ensure that students, administrators, parents, teachers, and emergency responders get informed quickly in every possible way during any type of school safety situation. Ensuring prompt, appropriate responses will save lives.

This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post School Security Systems are Failing: Here’s How to Fix Them appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to the company, Safe Schools creates a secure environment from the moment a visitor enters a campus, including artificial intelligence video analytics to alert school officials of suspicious activity and seamless communication with local law enforcement.

“Safe Schools is designed to help schools be more proactive in their safety planning and provide visibility into otherwise unknown threats, helping to ensure that students are safe and personnel can focus on the job at hand,” said John Zidar, senior vice president for global enterprise and channels at Motorola.

Read Next: NYC Schools Have Banned Zoom: Here’s Why

Safe Schools is able to be tailored to schools’ unique needs and spans the end-to-end workflow for everyday operations and emergencies, including technology that:

• Detects by using video security and analytics, license plate recognition, anonymous tip submission and access control
• Analyzes by using AI-powered video analytics to identify suspicious activity and search video footage
• Communicates by integrating two-way radios, LTE devices, and video security
• Responds by sharing real-time alerts and live video feeds

Perry Township Schools, located in suburban Indianapolis, uses Safe Schools at its two high school campuses.

“Safe Schools gives us the ability to monitor all areas of our campus in real-time, assess potential situations and respond to alerts in just a few minutes,” said Chris Sampson, associate superintendent, Perry Township Schools. “We are thankful Motorola Solutions’ state-of-the-art technology can help create a safer environment for our students, teachers and community members.”

For more products from Motorola Solutions, visit www.motorolasolutions.com.

This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post Motorola Safe Schools Solution Can Analyze Video & Voice Data appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Blast and Hurricane Resistant door and hardware solution was influenced by ASSA ABLOY’s tornado-resistance door and hardware, according to the company. It includes openings from CURRIES or Ceco Door and Corbin Russwin BL6600 Series or SARGENT BL7300 Series multi-point locks, with the new SARGENT and Corbin Russwin’s multi-point deadlocking systems factory installed in the door.

“At ASSA ABLOY, we’re constantly seeking to innovate our existing products to deliver solutions for the unique challenges presented by the world around us,” said Marc Stroot, ASSA ABLOY Manager of Specialty & Integrated Solutions.

“Today, we are proud to announce that after rigorous testing, this Multi-Solution Door Opening can dramatically increase safety in environments that face exposure to extreme hurricane-level winds, potential blast impact from explosions, excessive heat from a fire or a combination of all three.”

Related: Cybersecurity Incidents at K-12 Schools Nearly Tripled in 2019, Report Says

The CURRIES or Ceco Door Multi-Solution Opening incorporate new technology to provide a fiberglass and steel-stiffened door core with 12- or 14-gauge face sheets. The door frames are manufactured from 12- or 14-gauge steel with welded construction. It is available for single doors sized 2’8″ x 6’8″ up to 4’0″ x 8′.

The design has been third-party tested to meet the UFC 4-010-01 Department of Defense Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for buildings. It is third-party certified by Underwriters Laboratories to protect against extreme wind events, including Florida High-Velocity Hurricane Zones (HVHZ), which is a building code requirement in Miami/Dade County, Broward County and Coastal Palm Beach County.

The product also meets these standards:

• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Response Categories 1 and 2
• Blast 6.16 PSI Category I / Hurricane 150 PSF and 50 FPS
• Blast 9.74 PSI Category II / Hurricane 150 PSF and 50 FPS
• ANSI/BHMA A156.37 Grade 1 Certified

For more information, visit www.assaabloydss.com.

This post premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

The post New ASSA ABLOY Launches Explosion and Hurricane-Resistant Door appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The 2020 Mobile Theft and Loss Report, released by Prey, Inc., an open-source anti-theft software provider, found it is six times more likely that a device owner is pickpocketed at school or work than at a bar.

For educational institutions, from 2018 to 2019, pickpocketing grew by 6.37% to 17.58%. Common robbery at schools also increased by 10.51% to 17.65%, making schools and universities the second most frequent place for mobile robbery.

Additionally, the report found the stealing of mobile devices during home invasions and business break-ins have increased by 5.17% and 2.11%, respectively.

As for the location of these theft incidents, expectedly secure locations (homes, schools, offices) accounted for 65% and expectedly insecure locations (streets, malls, public transportation) accounted for the remaining 35%.

Related: 5 Tips for Choosing Campus Security Cameras

As for the type of devices stolen, 77% were mobiles (phones, tablets), 18.51% were laptops and 4.49% were desktops.

According to Prey, the increase in robberies in seemingly secure locations is due to the comfort and security expectancy users have in these places, causing them to lower their attention and alertness.

The report warns of the newest threat: opportunists. These opportunists often include students who take devices from other students or former employees who refuse to turn in their device.

“After analyzing 2019’s recovery stories, and comparing them with the ones from the previous report, we identified a third actor who is ready to take your gadgets,” reads the report.

“Opportunists are thieves, yes, but not the regular stereotype you’d find in a movie or tv series. They are people you know and share spaces with, and maybe even that you are comfortable with.”

Potential need for video security and monitoring systems

Does this rise in mobile device theft mean that these specific spaces are in need of increased video monitoring systems?

This story premiered on our sister site, Campus Safety.

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