Minneapolis – When seconds matter most – when there’s a report of an active threat to the community – first responders need fast, accurate information about the nature of the threat, its location and capabilities. When seconds matter most, first responders are increasingly looking to Securonet technology for answers.
Securonet’s ability to deliver critical information was on full display a few weeks ago when the Village of Oak Lawn, a community of approximately 60,000 residents southwest of Chicago, brought together its police with its school district’s administrators, faculty and staff for a special inter-agency event. The goal? A “safe schools” exercise that allowed first responders to practice their plans and protocols for threat identification and response, evacuation and reunification.
At the heart of this event was Securonet’s technology platform that provides both first responders and incident commanders working real-time tactical awareness. In 2018, Oak Lawn installed Securonet technology in its schools, public spaces and its high-risk areas to create a seamless, simple network of video camera and other sensors; the April event was the largest use of the Oak Lawn system to date.
“Being prepared for a school-based event isn’t and accident. It isn’t something that just happens or that professionals leave to chance,” said Tim Kingsley, Securonet’s Director of Strategic Development. “Professionals like the men and women who work every day to keep Oak Lawn safe ‘practice safety.’ They plan, they analyze, they drill, they debrief and they improve. That mindset is how we came to be working with the Village; their desire to always improve meshes perfectly with our technology. It gives first responders real knowledge about what’s happening and what they might be running toward. We’re extraordinarily proud to be a part of their ongoing safety culture and to be there – available at the press of a button – when a need arises.”
“Securonet allows us to have a common operating picture across multiple locations,” said Oak lawn’s Chief of Police Randy Palmer. “The incident commander can make on-scene decision as the event is unfolding because the technology lets us see into the scene and make better-informed decisions for the safety of all individuals involved.”
Securonet’s technology is available through an easy-to-use smartphone app as well as a suite of web-based command interfaces. It allows the viewing of security camera video, the location of officers, and the sharing of live video from officers in the field. This enhanced situational awareness allows for faster, more effective response by first responders and lets incident commanders react quickly and deploy appropriate personnel to events.
The platform lets officers in the field accurately and immediately assess a situation, provides better knowledge as to how other assets are deployed and gives them instant communications using the smartphone they’re already carrying. All that technology is behind an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that lets both first responders and command focus on the situation instead of fiddling with the tech.”
Securonet first deployed its technology in 2018 in support of law enforcement efforts around Super Bowl 52 and was redeployed at this year’s NCAA “Final Four” basketball tournament. The technology incorporates new features such as real-time firearms and weapons detection, the ability to add closed-circuit camera networks on the fly in response to real-time needs and mapping of camera locations as an overlay for location floorplans. The company technology is currently integrated into more than 35 public safety programs for schools, communities and corporate campuses across the United States as well as in France and Germany.
For more information, please visit https://securonet.com/.
