In light of school security breaches in recent years, a suburban Philadelphia county has taken action.
In hopes of ensuring the safety of its students and faculty, Delaware County installed a silent alarm system known as The Police Alert for School Safety (DelPASS) at many schools in the county.
Similar panic button devices installed in public, private, parochial and kindergarten programs across the county, immediately alert law enforcement of intruders and threats within schools.
“Public safety is our No. 1 priority and we are always working on improving school safety,” Councilman Dave White said. “The panic buttons are another layer of technology that is now available to make our schools safer and to help law enforcement respond more quickly to a threat.”
Funding obtained by the Delaware County Council and the District Attorney’s paid for the devices and homeland security installed the units. An $188,600 grant from the Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force helped with the process.
The installation of the systems in Delaware County schools began in September 2013 with each school having a final say on implementation. Nearly 200 DelPASS alarms are now in K through 12 schools in the area with more on the way, according to county officials.
“We hope there is never a situation where we need to use this, but if so we are prepared," said County Council Chairman Tom McGarrigle. "The safety of our students and teachers is a top priority.”
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Radio Communications Service Inc. won the bid on becoming the vendor of the alarm systems which are located in a school’s “command post” or main office where security camera footage can give warning of a threat. Once a button is pushed, the alert goes directly to 9-1-1 dispatchers who are given the school name, address, and button location. The dispatcher can then alert police and can communicate with the button-pusher via a two-way microphone. It fills the gap of recognizing a threat and getting the police on the scene.
DelPASS is currently specific to Delaware County, but is being considered by Chester County. As a result, Chairman of the Chester County Board of Commissioners Ryan Costello was accompanied by McGarrigle as they visited Worrall Elementary School in Broomall this morning to speak on the topic of safety with Principal John Beltrante. They also witnessed a demonstration of the DelPASS “Panic Buttons” that are meant to prevent tragedies like the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in Newton, Connecticut. Costello says that he was “very comfortable with [the panic button] implementation.”
“It’s an excellent security feature,” comments Beltrante whose school is entering its second year with the silent alarm. “It cuts down the amount of time it would take to call 9-1-1 and, as we know, in any emergency situation, every second counts.”
A public service video on DelPASS can be viewed on the county's website.
