Teachers in Porter County schools will soon have a cell phone app that will let them call police at the touch of a button if there’s a serious incident.
Superintendent Richard Weigel says if there is a shooter or other danger teachers can press a button and a signal will go to all police in a 20-mile radius.
Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds says it will cost about $1,000 per school building to start the program. He says the Valparaiso mayor has promised funding and he’ll use $45,000 in drug seizure money for startup costs.
Superintendent Weigel says the app “will provide faster service so we can be safer.”
Before the end of the year, a new communications device should be at the fingertips of every teacher and school administrator in Porter County.
Porter County Sheriff Dave Reynolds said this past week that all of the county’s school districts have informed him they will come aboard with the Guard 911 cellphone app.
The app will allow teachers and administrators to call police at the touch of a button on their phone in case of a serious incident, such as an active shooter, within the school building. The app will alert police through the companion Hero 911 app to respond.
The goal is to cut down on response time in case of any emergency, Reynolds said.
“God forbid we ever have to use it,” said Reynolds, adding that maybe even knowing the app is in use could deter such incidents.
Portage Township Schools Superintendent Richard Weigel told the School Board this week about the app.
“It creates a new network around the school. If there is an active shooter, they press the button and it goes to all law enforcement within a 20 mile radius,” Weigel said.
Weigel said there are other parts of the app that will benefit the school district, including a button to immediately contact 911 and a principal assist button that would allow teachers to alert administrators of a less significant problem within the school.
“It will provide faster service so we can be safer,” he said.
Reynolds said the start up cost will be $1,000 per school building. He said he met with Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas this week who offered to pay for the costs for Valparaiso schools.
Reynolds said he will also be using $45,000 the department recently received in a drug seizure in Chicago for the start up costs. The rest of the funding will come from his budget.
“I believe in this program so much,” he said, adding the U.S. Marshal’s recently came on board, so that the signal will now go to local, county, state and federal authorities in Porter, Lake, LaPorte and Jasper counties.
Reynolds said after he receives contracts from participating schools, the app could go live within two weeks.
In addition, Reynolds said his department will be reviewing school safety plans.
“All the school districts have asked us to review their plans,” Reynolds said.
App will give teachers fast access to police #Guard911 https://t.co/9V07zU6pZO
— Arnout de Vries (@ADeVries23) November 16, 2015
Sources: NWI Times, The Indy Channel, OurQuadCities