It is well documented that active shooter attacks are quick and violent in nature, relying on both surprise and shock to aid in the shooter’s effectiveness.
Due to these factors, calls from a school to 911 often do not begin until well after the incident has even begun.
The national average for a call to go out to 911 hovers around the two minute mark. Once those calls are made there is still a large amount of missing information and misreported intel.
The alert to law enforcement that a situation is underway rests solely on the shoulders of those trapped within an incident. This means of communication combined with the lack of usable information coming from the caller/s, serves only to prolong an efficient response from law enforcement.
Salem Schools has been addressing safety for almost 10 years – spending money every year to make improvements.
Each of the schools has networked cameras, locking doors and specially secured entrances to all three buildings. Bullet-proof glass has also been installed.
Superintendent DL Reed told the board at its regular meeting Monday night that she has continued talks with Net Talon, the security company responsible for the “Safest School in America” – better known as Southwestern High School in Shelbyville, IN – and has signed up the the Salem Middle School to be a pilot school.
Reed told board members last Friday at a special meeting that she had been discussing options with Net Talon’s Donald Jones.
“I have been on the phone with Net Talon, the group that installed the pilot program at Southwestern School in Shelbyville. I talked to the owner, Don Jones. I sent him and email and he just called me. They are looking for more pilot schools. They are going to do 8-10 this year with the Indiana Sheriff’s Association. I signed us up. I hope I wasn’t premature. They will choose one of our schools. If that’s successful, we can do that with the other two schools.”
Reed said there would be some costs involved, but the board recently approved setting aside $1 million for security updates in all three schools.
