We have all seen the recent headlines; we all now know that there have been more mass shootings than days in the year 2015.
It’s a number that will make you second guess if you read that last sentence correctly. As of yesterday, The Washington Post reports that the San Bernardino shooting makes a total of 355 mass shootings this year. It is only the 338th day of the year.
Mass shootings have instilled fear across the nation and the world, and the debate continues as to how we can prevent these ruthless acts of violence.
While nearly all organizations and businesses prioritize employees’ safety and security, it is the nation’s schools that we all tend to worry about most. How can we protect innocent and nearly defenseless school children from such violence?
We have seen numerous advancements and improvements in security technology in light of these mass shootings. Just recently, ZKAccess, a provider of biometric and RFID security solutions announced its release of the LB7000, its latest access control model. This “lockbox” enables facility managers to instantly lockdown all doors on a campus, and was designed primarily in response to the increased number of active shooter incidents this year, most notably in schools.
Furthermore, numerous schools have installed security cameras, mass notification systems and other security technology to help keep students, staff and visitors safe and prevent emergencies such as mass shootings.
Just this summer, Hickory Public School District, located in Hickory, NC, invested in an emergency message platform called Punch Alert, where students and staff can press a panic button through the app to notify emergency personnel of an emergency on schools grounds.
While this mass notification technology can help accelerate the process of getting students to a safe place, the question nearly every school is asking is how to prevent attackers from getting into the building in the first place.
Visitor management systems and access control technology can certainly help. Identifying individuals attempting to enter the building is a security precaution every school should look into adopting. However, these security technologies are not foolproof. Weapons can be concealed and identities can be falsified, making it difficult to ensure whether or not individuals entering school buildings are truly safe and trustworthy.
Schools across the country have even gone as far as installing metal detectors into their entry ways to detect guns and other weapons, though this technology is controversial and expensive.
While the answer to putting an end to mass shootings is yet to be found, it is important schools take every precaution necessary to protect its students and staff. Understanding the technology available to help prevent intruders and keep campuses safe is vital to maintaining a safe environment for learning.
Take a look through our Safety & Security stories to learn about the technology that can help protect your school from violent threats and attacks.
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