SchoolGuard app is a "panic button" that alerts all police within 20mi in the event of a school shoo
36 replies, posted
[url]http://mashable.com/2014/08/21/schoolguard-app/[/url]
[quote=Mashable]A new smartphone system may help law enforcement respond faster to school shootings or other emergencies. SchoolGuard is an app with a button that, when pushed, alerts all police officers within a 20-mile radius of the school at risk.
Many school districts have police notification systems in place in case of an active shooter or other emergency situation, but in many cases, police or other responders do not get to the scene in time to prevent further casualties. A study from the Department of Homeland Security showed that while the average mass shooting lasted 12.5 minutes, the average response time was 18 minutes.
The increase in school shootings over the years prompted Nate McVicker, a police officer and co-founder of SchoolGuard, to take action. Along with Mike Snyder, a retired Illinois State Police colonel, and a few programmers, McVicker launched SchoolGuard in May of this year.
About 12,000 police officers in all 50 states have downloaded the app since its inception, McVicker told Mashable. Additionally, 60 schools in five states — Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Texas — have adopted the program. McVicker expects 300 to 400 more schools to introduce SchoolGuard over the next few months.[/quote]
Can't wait for someone finding a way to exploit it to have cops rush on a school without anything happening
Sounds like something that could be abused.
Yeah, I don't see this being abused, no sir.
ninjad
anything can be abused
this means well and i'd love to see it implemented well
To be honest I don't see this being any easier to abuse than a 911 call is.
I can only see this working if it is activated manually by the police dispatcher when a school fires the alarm. Activating it directly from some source in school could be abused, like other said.
If I were a criminal, I would manipulate this to send local police on alert at their nearest school while I committed a crime elsewhere.
As long as the right people are in control of it, I don't see a problem. At the same time though, I'm not sure how much faster it is than a 911 call. I suppose it could be quieter if there's intruders looking for you, or faster if it's a button punch on the way out the door, but I'd feel better about it if I knew who would be able to access it. If it's out in the open like a fire alarm that's just inviting misuse.
Possible shortcomings aside, I like seeing a police officer taking initiative to develop something like this.
[QUOTE=l337k1ll4;45872021]To be honest I don't see this being any easier to abuse than a 911 call is.[/QUOTE]
This can be done silently, which is kinda important if you're hiding from a motherfucker with a gun.
Require first-time setup by scanning a private-public cryptographic sequence based on student ID QR code issued by the school.
I can't think of the technical name for such a thing, but that would be an effective method of cutting abuse. But at the same time if someone steals your phone you're in some hot water.
my school adopted a similar app but it was also connected to the school which had networked locks so that when the alarm is sent it automatically locks all doors when it sends a signal to the police
[QUOTE=Intoxicated Spy;45871961]Can't wait for someone finding a way to exploit it to have cops rush on a school without anything happening[/QUOTE]
The next generation of SWATing
[quote]The increase in school shootings over the years ....[/quote]
Uh, no, they haven't increased.
[img]http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/images/Sandy-Hook-Effect/fig1.png[/img]
My old high school adopted this over the summer, seems like a waste of money.
jesus corpsefucking christ this is a bad idea
If I wanted to cause a ton of damage, I wouldn't be shooting up schools - I'd be hitting this panic button on burner phones and swatting random random every day. That would kill just as many people, except now it's jumpy over-armed cops doing the job for me, and it would do a ton more economic damage.
You want to actually fix this problem? Fix the mental healthcare system.
Maybe it requires a short, 4-number password that everybody should know.
Or fingerprint.
Like, every class would have a class iPad, which has the app. The app is then synchronized with every iPad, so you can set the alarm off from any of them, but you require either the 4-digit password, or a fingerprint from any of the students or teachers.
Swatting with a push of a button.
I'm sure this won't be abused at all so siree bob.
It would be incredibly easy to figure out who activated it. And place the cost of the police response and disruption on them as well as any charges/fines. Anyone could call a bomb threat from a pay phone but that doesn't happen often either and its even more anonymous than using an app on your own smartphone.
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;45872133]my school adopted a similar app but it was also connected to the school which had networked locks so that when the alarm is sent it automatically locks all doors when it sends a signal to the police[/QUOTE]
Thats some Watch_Dogs ctOS bullshit right there.
[QUOTE=download;45872160]Uh, no, they haven't increased.
[img]http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/images/Sandy-Hook-Effect/fig1.png[/img][/QUOTE]
2010 was 4 years ago though, which kinda renders the chart useless if you're thinking mostly within the last 5 years
I don't know if it's true or not, but figured it'd be a good idea to remember that the chart doesn't have very recent results
You know, this is one of those things that only the staff should have access to. Kids like to be dicks and the last thing I'd trust them with is access to a panic button.
Want to get out of that final exam you're dreading? BOOP. People call in bomb threats every once and awhile when mid terms and finals come around at my college, I could see it being a lot worse at high school or below.
You could always just call 911. Even if you don't say anything police/etc will still come so you could do it quietly
[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;45872133]my school adopted a similar app but it was also connected to the school which had networked locks so that when the alarm is sent it automatically locks all doors when it sends a signal to the police[/QUOTE]
I don't see the point of locking the doors. If it locks from the outside, that traps everyone in the school with a gunman. If it locks from the inside, that's not going to stop a gunman from escaping.
Unless if you meant only classroom doors get locked, and not exits/entrances
[QUOTE=Whyt546;45874936]I don't see the point of locking the doors. If it locks from the outside, that traps everyone in the school with a gunman. If it locks from the inside, that's not going to stop a gunman from escaping.
Unless if you meant only classroom doors get locked, and not exits/entrances[/QUOTE]
The point is to prevent the gunman from advancing.
[QUOTE=Whyt546;45874936]I don't see the point of locking the doors. If it locks from the outside, that traps everyone in the school with a gunman. If it locks from the inside, that's not going to stop a gunman from escaping.
Unless if you meant only classroom doors get locked, and not exits/entrances[/QUOTE]
it locks classroom doors
[QUOTE=Intoxicated Spy;45871961]Can't wait for someone finding a way to exploit it to have cops rush on a school without anything happening[/QUOTE]
Its probably an app thats only given to faculty.
[QUOTE=Valnar;45875315]Its probably an app thats only given to faculty.[/QUOTE]
You seem to be correct:
[quote=the SchoolGuard site][B]Teachers and staff[/B] download the app to their mobile phones. In the event of an active shooting, a teacher presses the panic button provided in the app. An alert is immediately sent to the mobile phones of all federal, state and local law enforcement officers, ON and OFF duty, in close proximity to the school. The app simultaneously speed dials 911 and connects the teacher to emergency services. All other staff and teachers in the school with the app installed are also immediately alerted of the shooting, and a map of the location of the initial alert is displayed on their mobile phones.[/quote]
That last sentence though seems pretty pointless unless it's a large school, as not even GPS+wifi+cell towers combined can accurately tell where in a school a person might be.
[QUOTE=Map in a box;45873477]You could always just call 911. Even if you don't say anything police/etc will still come so you could do it quietly[/QUOTE]
Except you're looking at the difference between one or so responders for a 911 call, and every local police officer being told immediately that shit has hit the fan at a school.
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