Northampton Public Schools in coordination with county law enforcement officials recently started working with the Boston-based company, In Force Technology, LLC to install their life-saving school safety technology, IN FORCE911, in all of the Northampton County public schools.
INFORCE911 is a desktop and mobile application which significantly reduces police response time to a critical event at a school and addresses the communication barrier which exists during active shooting situations.
The software application empowers school staff with the means to launch an alert in 12-seconds or less from their desktop or mobile device, rather than minutes, with the current 911 system. The alert will be sent directly to the dispatch center, police cruisers and cell phones of officers with specific information, including the room of origin.
Additionally, it opens a two-way chat dialogue, in real-time, allowing staff to communicate details of the threat to first responders. Moreover, first responders are provided access to Floor Plans, IP-based camera feeds and other emergencies detailed information to help them plan the best course of action.
“This initiative was Sheriff Doughty’s idea. There was no incident that prompted the decision. This program enables teachers and staff to directly report any serious threats to our schools. In addition, it will reduce response time for law enforcement officers. When they arrive at the scene floor plans and any changes in the situation are available for them to see on their screen. Finally, it has been installed at all of our schools, not just the high school,” Superintendent Eddie Lawrence told the Mirror.
Sample screen from In Force911, showing the location of alert, officers responding and real-time chat feature (Image courtesy of In Force911)
While attending the 2016 Spring Virginia Sheriff’s Conference, Sheriff Doughty received information about the InForce 911 Software.
“I was able to reach out to the provided references of localities using the software and received nothing but positive feedback. Shortly thereafter, I approached all of the Northampton County schools public and private about supporting the idea of implementing the program. While they all were very supportive, Northampton County Public Schools decided to move forward with the project. Currently, we are working with some of our private schools to move forward with the implementation. Initially, we did encounter some delays with the implementation of the software. However, over the past 12 months, we have been working with the InForce Technology Team, our local Law Enforcement Partners, School Staff, and County and School IT Departments to implement the software. Since late summer, we have conducted three testing sessions with school staff. I am pleased to report that the testing went well and the InForce 911 Software is actively running in all Northampton County Public Schools. We plan to have regular testing sessions with the staff throughout the remainder of the school year,” Sheriff Doughty told the Mirror.
Additionally, with the assistance of the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force, Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office, and Exmore Police Department, law enforcement has completed active intruder training sessions with four Northampton County Schools. There additional sessions scheduled for February 20.
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