InterAct Offers Technology to Improve Safety and Security Colleges and Universities
The tragedy at Virginia Tech has brought the safety and security of our children back to the forefront. Fingers are pointing every which way to try and make sense out of this senseless act of violence.
"Colleges need an alert notification system." "Colleges need intelligent video surveillance systems." "Different agencies need to communicate better."InterAct Public Safety Systems is a one-stop shop that is already helping colleges and universities solve all of these problems. With this lens we are compiling all of the relevant articles making the case for these various systems and providing information about how our systems are making a difference at institutions like Rutgers University, Murray State University, the University of Kentucky, and Hazard High School.
It will also provide resources on how to improve school safety in general.
Crisis Management for University Leaders
Articles evaluating the actions of campus leadership as they reacted to the tragedy at Va Tech.
- Virginia Tech report: College Are Information Silos - CNN.com
- Cowed by confusing privacy laws, authorities sometimes fail to raise red flags about potentially dangerous students, and peers keep quiet out of a false sense of duty, a federal report on the Virginia Tech shootings concluded Wednesday.
- Virginia Tech Shootings: Crisis Magnifies the Significance of Small Weaknesses
- The administration of Virginia Tech is widely under attack for allegedly not responding appropriately in the aftermath of the mass shootings on campus.
- Bernstein Crisis Management
- Crisis Management expert Jonathan Bernstein comments on the Va Tech tragedy.
- Virginia shootings spur changes at Maine colleges
- The shootings have put just about everybody connected with colleges and universities on edge. Students say they now find themselves scoping out exits in large lecture rooms and thinking about what they would do if they were trapped in a building with a shooter on the loose. Parents are flooding college administrative offices with questions about campus safety and emergency management plans.
- Schools make gains on security - The Boston Globe
- Some lessons from the public school system in the Boston area.
Could Technology Have Helped?
A variety of technologies and solutions are being explored and covered in the media in response to the Va Tech shooting.
- Can we Make Our Campuses Safer? - TIME
- Most universities can't beef up security with a metal detector or two. So what can be done to protect students?
- Lessons From Virginia Tech: A Disaster Alert System That Works - WIRED
- This talks about a few notification systems, but honestly I don't feel any of them come close to what InterAct MissionMode can do.
- E-mail Alerts May Not Be Best Bet in Emergencies
- Shootings at Va. Tech point to need for broader notification systems, users say
- Texting When There's Trouble - WSJ.com
- Discussion of a variety of notification systems avaailable and some universities using them.
- Schools Weigh Cell Messages for Emergencies
- Cell phone text messages. Loudspeakers on towers. Cameras that detect suspicious activity. After the Virginia Tech massacre, colleges and universities are considering these and other measures to alert thousands of students across their campuses of emergencies.
- Colleges seek faster ways to inform students - Massacre at Virginia Tech - MSNBC.com
- The two hours it took for Virginia Tech officials to e-mail students a warning about a gunman on campus has highlighted how schools can get critical news out faster in a crisis. One comment from Chris Meyer at Texas A&M..."There is no one magic communication system that we can press a button and let everyone know what is going on."
What if I told you there was...it is MissionMode. - Could cell text alert have helped at Va. Tech? - USATODAY.com
- This article talks about a competitor who offers a text messaging alert system. What I feel may be lacking with this system is other methods of communication like email, voice alerts, etc.
- Real-life test for campus safety law
- The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to issue warnings when a crime poses a threat to students and employees. It also requires colleges to file regular reports of criminal instances. InterAct's MissionMode and AthenaRMS systems can assist with the compliance of these requirements.
- NewsFactor Business | Can Text Messaging Improve School Safety?
- Virginia Tech reportedly considered implementing a text message notification system earlier this year, however, no such system was in place on the morning of April 16 when Seung-Hui Cho went on his shooting rampage, killing more than 30 Virignia Tech students and teachers. Could such a system help save lives when a gunman shows up on campus?
School Safety Resources
Associations and organizations dedicated to improving school safety and security.
- NASRO
- The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) is a not-for-profit organization for school based law enforcement officers, school administrators, and school security/safety professionals working as partners to protect students, school faculty and staff and the schools they attend.
- SAVE - Students Against Violence Everywhere
- This is an incredible organization staffed by gifted and compassionate folks who have made school safety and violence prevention a way of life.
- School Safety Advocacy Council (SSAC) (941) 232-4633
- The School Safety Advocacy Council is made up of some of the leading experts in the field of school and child safety.
- Security On Campus, Inc. | Campus Security and Crime Victim Resources
- National non-profit campus security organization geared to the prevention of college and university campus crime, and crime victim assistance.
- School Safety and School Security Experts: National School Safety and Security Services
- School safety consultants, school security assessments, and school safety and crisis training. We help schools prevent school violence, reduce risks and liability, and improve school-community relations on school safety issues.
InterAct Public Safety Systems
Solutions for improving school safety and security
InterAct offers a number of systems used by colleges, universities, 9-1-1 centers, police departments, and other agencies at the local, state and federal level. With over 650 customers around the globe, we are the leaders in public safety and security.
- MissionMode Emergency Notification System
- A next generation alert notification system that enables customers to send alerts quickly and easily. MissionMode is multi-modal meaning that alerts can be sent to many different devices at the same time including phone, email, SMS, pager, fax, etc. Recipients can also acknowledge the alert, assuring the sender that critical information was received.
- TrueSentry Smart Video Surveillance System
- InterAct TrueSentry enables users to command and control disparate video systems, and quickly send alerts and video to a variety of devices. It is integrated with InterAct's computer-aided dispatch (CAD) so that school officials can escalate incidences directly to the city's 9-1-1 center, delivering feeds from the school cameras to the dispatcher and first responders.
- InterAct CAD
- InterAct CAD software provides university communications officers with clear guidance in receiving and managing emergency calls. Our CAD system is designed to help speed response times of police and emergency personnel by pinpointing the exact location of 9-1-1 callers. Unlike traditional 9-1-1 trunking systems, which can only identify what dorm building a caller is in, InterAct can integrate with local ALI databases so that dispatchers are able to identify the caller's specific room and floor number, helping officers or emergency responders get to the scene faster.
- AthenaRMS and Mobile Field Reporting
- InterAct's records management and mobile field reporting systems were designed to eliminate the downtime that was previously necessary for completing incident reports. Instead of radioing to the dispatch center or spending time filling out paper reports, officers will be able to transmit their reports right from their vehicle via a private secure network back to the shift commander. This will ultimately minimize officer downtime, and keep the radio channel open for emergency situations. Prompt completion of reports will also help Rutgers ensure timely submissions of incidents to local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and comply with Clery, NIBRS and UCR reporting guidelines and requirements.
Books on Campus Security
Partnership Ups the Ante on Campus Security.(Feature): An article from: Security Dealer
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 12/05/2008) 
Senior Campus Security Officer (Career Examination, C-2265)
Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 12/05/2008)
Physical education for campus security. (physical security program): An article from: Security Management
Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/05/2008)
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