(LEX 18) — A Kentucky lawmaker wants to give teachers and school staff a quicker way to notify police during dangerous situations.
Rep. Chad Aull will file Alyssa's Law during the next legislative session. The bill calls for the installation of silent panic alarms directly linked to law enforcement.
"The idea is it will drastically reduce the first responder response time on the scene," Aull said.
The technology he's looking at comes in different forms. An example he told LEX 18 about is an embedded panic button on badges school employees are required to wear. If an employee were to click the buttons a certain amount of times in a row, police would be notified.
"Some of the technology also includes the ability for GPS locators, so you would know immediately where that person was when they triggered the alarm - whether they were on the second floor or first floor or the east wing of the school or the west wing," Aull said. "Additionally, some of the technology allows central dispatch to tie into the camera system at the school, so they start to automatically monitor the situation and see if the danger, the suspect, is moving down this hallway or that hallway."
This type of technology was praised by police after a school shooting in Georgia.
"Time if of the essence," Aull said. "Actually, Georgia - the last school shooting in Georgia - they had this technology in place and the local law enforcement community praised how well it worked and how it helped them to respond to the situation."
"They knew where the suspect was when they arrived," added Aull. "So, they knew when they got out of the car exactly where to go to."
Aull said several states, such as New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and New York, have enacted Alyssa's Law. One Kentucky school district has also begun using wearable alarm technology.
"Meade County has implemented technology like this already, proactively, in their school system and they seem to be very happy with the way that it works," said Aull.
Aull's proposal calls for $10 million in state matching funds, meaning school districts will need to partially pay for the safety tool. However, Aull believes school districts can shop around for the option that best meets their needs.
"It would allow them, with the Center for School Safety, to pick the technology that's best for them," said Aull. "It's kind of like buying a pickup truck. You can buy a real nice one or you can buy one that gets the job done."
Alyssa's Law is named in honor of New Jersey native Alyssa Alhadeff, who was among the 17 people killed in the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting in February 2018.
