Legislation
co-authored by State Representative Chuck Moseley (D-Portage) that would
increase school safety by installing a system that can quickly alert first
responders in the event of a 911 emergency is on its way to Governor
Holcomb’s desk to be signed into law.
House Bill 1225
would allow school corporations and charter schools to apply for grant
funding from the Indiana Secured School Fund to help cover initial set-up
costs for an active event warning system, which is modeled after an active
event warning system currently used throughout Porter County. The system is
designed to ensure rapid response in the event of a 911 emergency--such as
an active shooter--or similar emergencies taking place in any school
building within all school districts.
“When there is an
emergency situation in a school, such as an active shooter, the quicker the
response, the more likely we are to save lives,” Moseley said. “In Porter
County, the active event warning system has proven to be more efficient in
alerting first responders of a 911 emergency and helping them identify and
neutralize the threat as quickly and safely as possible.”
With the press of a
button, the system immediately notifies first responders in the area that
there is an emergency. Once the system is activated, security camera footage
can be accessed from each building on campus to identify the location of an
intruder and communicate vital information about the intruder’s identity.
“The ability for
the application to access all cameras inside of the school allows law
enforcement to have eyes and ears inside the building in the event of an
emergency situation,” Moseley said. “That means first responders will have
eyes on the suspect and know which hallways are safe to evacuate and which
should be avoided.”
In Porter County,
nearly 100 buildings are covered by the active event warning
system--including all school corporation buildings, YMCAs, Boys and Girls
Clubs of America, private industries, and churches. The cost to set up the
active event warning system in Porter County was approximately $80,000. The
balance of the Indiana Secured School Fund at the end of 2018 was $9.9
million.