Government Security News

State/County/Municipal Security
Ohio commission provides $17 million
funding to bolster school security
The state of ohio is making $17 million available
to schools in the state to reimburse them for
making security upgrades.
it’s the second year for the program, which
is run by the ohio School Facilities Commission,
said Rick Savors, a spokesman with the ohio
Facilities Construction Commission. Last year,
about $12 million was made available to school
districts through the oFCC’s School Facilities
Commission. More than 600 districts submitted
more than 3,700 applications, according to the
School Facilities Commission.
While the latest round precludes recipients
from the initial funding, state lawmakers decided
to expand the program and allow private, parochial
and nonpublic charter schools to receive
funding. The funding originates from state capital
bonds, and as such, they cannot be used to hire
personnel, including resource officers.
Specifically, the funding can be used for one
of two grant programs. Schools can receive up
to $2,000 per eligible building for an emergency
communications system, or they can receive up
to $5,000 per building for entrance improvements.
The deadline to apply is oct. 16.
The grant program comes at a time when
more school districts are spending funds on
increasing or enhancing security. according to
the U.S. Department of Education, 75 percent of
schools surveyed said they use at least one camera,
up from about 60 percent five years ago.
The Loveland City School District, which is
located just outside of Cincinnati in the southwest
corner of the state, received funds to have
cameras installed outside entry doors at the
middle, elementary and early childhood center.
it also paid for a wide-angle camera positioned
outside of the high school. That camera allows
the receptionist and attendance clerk to better
monitor arrivals. Both personnel have the ability
to put the school on lockdown, if necessary, according
to a district release.
“The district strives to be as open and welcoming
as possible,” said John ames, Loveland’s
business manager. “all secretaries and receptionists
plan to operate their entryways as they have
in the past with the door being open during the
school day. However, the new security measures
give those professionals the ability to secure the
doors on a moment’s notice should the need
arise.”
The Northwest Local School District, which
is also near Cincinnati, announced last month
that it received $10,000 to purchase a communications
system for its schools and a couple nearby
private schools. The system will give each school
the ability to contact first responders immediately
in times of crisis.
in order to receive the communications
grant, the system
purchased for the school must
be compatible to ohio’s Multiagency
Radio Communications
System or another local emergency
system if first responders
in the area are not a part of
MaRCS, Savors said.
Several schools have used
grant funding to purchase wireless
communications systems,
such as the tattletale alarms
marketed by argus agents. Using
technology that has been
proven effective at banks and
hospitals, tattletale gives teachers
a panic button they can use
to alert first responders and
school officials.
Lial Catholic School, located
near toledo, and Cleveland’s
Ruffing Montessori used grant
money to buy tattletale systems.
“our schools are underfunded
and grants like the oSFC
are essential to improve student
safety. in many applications a
$2,000 grant can fully cover the
cost of a tattletale Panic Button
System,” argus CEo David Wahl
said.
For more information about
the commission and its grant program,
go to: http://ofcc.ohio.gov/
ServicesPrograms/SchoolSecurity-
Grants/RoundTwo.aspx
Advanced access control software
Continued from page 39
where it is needed.
The combination of solidly
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allow access control systems
to transcend their traditional
roles and become the single platform
that allows users to monitor
facilities and share data with
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security, and their possible
uses are seemingly limited only
by the imagination. as a result,
advanced access control software
and solutions are ideally suited
for municipalities and security
professionals who can think creatively
to identify non-traditional
applications and implement truly
innovative solutions on the metro
level.
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