UNION CITY, N.J. (PIX11) — A loud voice echoes through a school hallway as a strobe light flashes. PIX11 News was on hand for a test of the 911 Inform Technology at Union City, N.J. schools. It’s currently installed at nearly one-thousand schools in the tri-state area.
When someone dials 911 from within a school, the 911 Inform launches a computer program in just over one second. Police can see it in all of their patrol cars and on the cellphones of all school administrators. Once the system is activated, police can open up any of the cameras in a school and lock all the school doors with the click of one button.
“We map the entire school, all the phones, all the technology, the cameras, the door access, is all connected and available to 911,” said Ivo Allen, the creator and CEO of 911 Inform.
Some schools that use the system also use facial recognition and license plate readers to secure school properties. There is also technology to scan for visible weapons. In addition, Allen told PIX11 News he was about to roll out a new feature. A radar-like system that will be able to detect hidden weapons.
We’re doing millimeter wave technology, where we can detect weapons through clothing and backpacks. So if a student has a weapon or a knife in his backpack, we can detect it before he enters the building,” Allen said.
