Digital cameras, parent alerts boost school security

From rural one-room schoolhouses to sprawling university campuses, school security is a growing concern. Part of that concern is rooted in a lack of communication to outsiders. In Columbia, when gunfire was reported in the south part of the city recently, parents received a text message letting them know nearby school buildings were locked down and students were safe.

Because of recent events, enrollment in the school district’s CPS Alert grew by about 100 subscribers, said Michelle Baumstark, school community programs and communications coordinator.

Baumstark said Columbia Public Schools launched the alert system, sponsored by Boone County National Bank, in January. Parents can access it through the district’s Web site (www.columbia.k12.mo.us) and indicate their preference for notifications. When the district sends out an alert, participants receive a text message on their cell phones.

Preventing violence in the first place is also important to the founders of Branson-based Digital Technology & Surveillance (DTS). The mere presence of a surveillance camera acts as a deterrent to crime in schools, Angel Hartzell said. She and her husband, Matt, founded the business in 2002 with Daniel Moore and then bought him out in 2006. The company’s digital network-based system is online at Hickman Mills, Mo., and a one-year study showed a 25 percent decline in thefts, vandalism and fights.

“Digital cameras provide superior image quality, distributed intelligence, easier management and simpler installation and maintenance,” Angel Hartzell said.

Recently Columbia Public Schools also switched from analog to digital technology. Deputy Superintendent Jacque Cowherd said this is the first year to use digital cameras on the buses and the second year in all the buildings.

“We’ve requested money in the capital budget to enhance those systems,” Cowherd said.

In conjunction with the cameras, the district also is purchasing more two-way radios, so, for example, a playground supervisor always has contact with someone inside a building.

Every school building has a monitoring location for the cameras. In addition, Cowherd said, the cameras have an IP address, so they can be monitored elsewhere, such as at a law enforcement office. In the event that a potentially dangerous situation is occurring inside a building, police can assess the situation from a remote location before taking action.

Cowherd said the city’s fiber optic network was a big advantage for the district in setting up its system.

DTS saw the effectiveness of its system almost instantly at a Texas school. Within one hour of surveillance cameras going online, a student was caught stealing a master locker key. Security officials jumped on the situation and averted a potential loss estimated at $50,000.

DTS uses its own software, which, Angel said, “is unique in that it securely allows an unlimited number of users to access an unlimited number of cameras at an unlimited number of sites.”

She said the client decides the location of users, such as the school office, district office and police station.

Angel said she and her husband started the business in order to provide safe facilities for learning, working and living. With assistance from the Southwest Missouri State University Small Business Development Center, the company secured a loan to launch the business. Angel said the business continues to consult with the center as it grows.

Matt Hartzell said DTS is among the big players. It placed a competitive bid and was awarded the contract for the Dallas school district, the tenth-largest school district in the nation, he said.

Working with these schools, Matt said, “it’s not the crimes that are resolved, but what you prevent.”