WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The implementation of potentially lifesaving technology is on the radar for Wichita Public Schools and the Wichita Police Department.
The WPD can apply for a grant that would give Wichita teachers the ability to directly communicate with police in the event of an emergency situation like a school shooting.
Other school districts across the U.S. have implemented the technology, but none in Kansas have done so. Wichita Public Schools, which would be the first in the state, said the technology would allow police to know almost immediately when an incident is happening and where.
“The quicker we get a response to an area (where) it’s needed, the better,” said USD 259 Safety and Environmental Services Director Terri Moses.
Wichita Public Schools could soon get that near-instant response through the
COPS School Violence Protection Program grant
would provide school staff with an app, allowing them that direct communication with police. On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council gave police the green light to apply for the grant.
With the technology the grant would provide, the apps don’t just let police know that something is happening, they allow near-instant communication into the specific details.
“There’s the ability to provide information to the police department, like where an incident is occurring, what a suspect or person may look like and where do police need to go when they get to a school,” WPD Captain Aaron Moses said.
The Wichita school district said it’s been working toward this for a while because of the technology’s lifesaving potential.
“Anytime we can reduce the time it takes to notify someone there’s a concern, we have the opportunity to save lives to mitigate risk, to reduce the amount of injury,” Terri Moses said.
