Navigating Emergency Response

How map-based integrations can help schools tighten security

In the face of increased violence in schools around the United States, one Northeast school district made a plan to upgrade their VMS to tighten security. With its ability to enact quick response using mobile and map-based functions during an event, Milestone’s surveillance system was at the top of the class.

Help Keep Kids Safe
For schools around the United States, increased violent crime and active shooter situations have brought a sharp focus on safety, and polls show the growing fears among American parents. In response, a Northeast school district planned an upgrade for their access control system and the deployment of new video security technology.

To ensure the safety of staff, students and the community as a whole, the district safety committee took a careful approach to school security by insisting that the upgrade teamwork closely with local emergency responders, including police, fire departments and local homeland security officials. Decisions made were that responding officers should be able to access the district's video from their squad cars and remote devices, in addition to the central dispatch office.

Because Milestone software enables integrations with countless third-party vendors, the XProtect VMS was the choice to set the new course.

Mapping Security Breaches

  • Milestone XProtect Expert VMS and Smart Client
  • Remote access and monitoring with Milestone Mobile
  • Entrance access control from LenelS2 Security
  • Network cameras from Axis Communications and MOBOTIX
  • Consulting and implementation by Digital Surveillance Solutions (DSS)

XProtect Expert is at the core of the surveillance system, controlling user access, camera and recording settings, viewing, searching, archiving and evidence sharing. The advanced mapping features and remote video access are key to the schools’ requirements for sharing video with authorities. The integrated surveillance solution works with the video intercom system for 2-way audio and access control at public entrances.

Situational Awareness when Seconds Count
Streaming, real-time video from the cameras is available at the police department, fire department and in mobile police units. In the event of an emergency, a map-based interface in the district's VMS lets responding officers navigate fast to see campus buildings and click on logically named camera locations to check what is happening.

The seamless integration of the access control system with the VMS has enabled the schools to keep track of any attempted entry by unauthorized people. School administrators can access camera views in their respective buildings, and district office staff can view video in all buildings.

In addition to dealing with potential or active external threats, the video security system delivers overall campus visibility and discourages vandalism, student conflicts and after-hours trespassers. A resource officer for the district noted that with the system in place, the incidence of crime dramatically decreased to almost nothing. If things do occur, video evidence is highly valued in criminal or liability investigations.

Conserving Operational Resources
School facility staff can access cameras remotely for more logistical uses, like viewing parking lots after a particularly snowy night to determine if school property should be snow plowed, or schools should close that day.

Overall, the increased real-time situational awareness has not only contributed to a peace of mind across the community, but recorded video evidence has saved the district resources in crime investigations and reporting. And, that means all stakeholders are able to focus more on the important task of educating the country’s youth.

About Crime in K-12 School Districts
According to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) data from 2017-2018 showed that 66% of public schools recorded physical attacks or fights without a weapon, and 21% of schools reported at least one serious violent incident. From 2018 through 2020, Statista numbers K-12 shootings increased to circa 115 each year for incidents where guns were brandished, fired, or hit school property.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) also funded creation of a database to track shootings on K-12 school grounds. This research aims to uncover why multiple-victim homicide incidents have been increasing. In 2019, a Federal Data Strategy also began to examine data on school safety. Both efforts can help to better understand the nature and extent of violent crime that occurs in U.S. schools — and ultimately how best to prevent future incidents.

Featured

  • Live From ISC West: Day 2 Recap

    If it’s even possible, Day 2 of ISC West in Las Vegas, Nevada, was even busier than the first. Remember to keep tabs on our Live From ISC West page for news and updates from the show floor at the Venetian, because there’s more news coming out than anyone could be expected to keep track of. Our Live From sponsors—NAPCO Security, Alibi Security, Vistacom, RGB Spectrum, and DoorKing—kept the momentum from Day 1 going with packed booths, happy hours, giveaways, product demonstrations, and more. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Visiting Sin City

    I’m a recovering alcoholic, ten years sober this June. I almost wrote “recovered alcoholic,” because it’s a problem I’ve long since put to bed in every practical sense. But anyone who’s dealt with addiction knows that that part of your brain never goes away. You just learn to tell the difference between that insidious voice in your head and your actual internal monologue, and you get better at telling the other guy to shut up. Read Now

  • On My Way Out the Door

    To answer that one question I always get, at every booth visit, I have seen amazing product technology, solutions and above all else, the people that make it all work. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West
  • Return to Form

    My first security trade show was in 2021. At the time, I was awed by the sheer magnitude of the event and the spectacle of products on display. But this was the first major trade show coming out of the pandemic, and the only commentary I heard was how low the attendance was. Two representatives from one booth even spent the last morning playing catch in the aisle with their giveaway stress balls. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • ISC West

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • PDK IO Access Control Software

    PDK.IO Access Control Software

    ProdataKey now allows for "custom fields" within the interface of its pdk.io software. Custom fields increase PDK's solutions' overall functionality by allowing administrators to include a wide range of pertinent data associated with each user. 3

  • Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software

    Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software

    Johnson Controls, the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, and architect of the Open Blue digital connected platforms, has released the newest version of the Tyco Kantech EntraPass security management software. 3

  • Unique Oversized ID Card Printer

    Unique Oversized ID Card Printer

    Idesco Corp. is announcing its card printer – the XCR100 2.0 printer- that allows customers to personalize oversized ID cards on demand. The printer is ideal for assisting healthcare organizations find the right badging solution. As healthcare facilities continue to combat the spread of COVID-19, issuing oversized ID cards has helped identify staff clearly while adding an extra layer of security. The XCR100 2.0 printer is the only dye-sublimation printer on the market that can personalize CR100 cards (3.88" x 2.63"). The cards that are 42% larger than the standard credit card size. The printer can produce up to 180 full cards per hour in color, and up to 1,400 cards per hour in monochrome. An optional flipper is available to print dual-sided badges in one pass. Contactless encoding comes as an option to help healthcare facilities produce secure access badges on demand and the card printer features a 2-year warranty. 3