Gonzales schools to implement new security software

The Gonzales Independent School District is in the process of implementing a new soft ware program that will help law enforcement respond more quickly to campus emergencies as well as increase the flow of information for anyone managing a crisis situation.

During a conference held on Wednesday at the GISD administrative building, Gonzales County Sheriff Glen Sachtleben and GISD Superintendent Dr. Kim Strozier announced the district’s plan to implement COPsync911 software, a network that will enable all GISD staff to transmit information to first responders in emergency situations in a matter of seconds.

Sachtleben said the sheriff’s dept. has been utilizing the law-enforcement version of the software for two years, and that the program acts as a type of safety barrier for officers responding to such calls.

GISD’s version of the program connects school campuses directly to any law enforcement agent in the area that has access to the program. Sachtleben added that the soft ware enables law enforcement to cut response time by 7-9 minutes.

“We had a two-week-long exercise at the start of this summer involving several agencies, and our assessment from that was sort of the beginning of this,” Sachtleben said. “That multijurisdictional training was the catalyst.”

COPsync allows any teacher other staff member with access to a cell phone or laptop computer to send out a call for help at the touch of a button. The signal then sets up a live conference in which the sender can give details of the emergency, and where law enforcement can analyze the situation to take necessary precautions for their arrival at the scene.

The software additionally notifies responders which campus is sending the signal and displays detailed maps of the campus based on the sender’s GPS location.

“Across Texas, school safety is our number one priority,” Strozier said. “When the sheriff brought this to me I was very interested because it has to do with improving response time.”

In addition to alerting police, COPsync also relays a signal to key school personnel to apprise them of the emergency, enabling them also to react promptly and efficiently.

“The thing we like best about it is that it allows give-and-take communications,” Sachtleben said. “When the sender can respond safely, we can continue to get information and know what stance to take when we get there.”

Norma Keeton, sales and marketing manager for Copsync, added that the school will be able to utilize the system in any critical situation, in any location.

“If they have a computer in the concession stand at a football game, they can put it in there,” she said. “Any kind of after-school or after hours event they feel they might need it, they can put it in.”