District details $3 million investment in security technology, visitor screening and anonymous reporting tools

Cumberland County Schools officials used the Family Academy livestream to outline investments and tools intended to enhance campus safety, including weapons detectors, a visitor management system, anonymous reporting and school resource officer responsibilities.

Lee Sumners, Prevention and Security Management Facilitator, said the district invested "over $3,000,000" in 2024 to upgrade security measures. He described the Cheah Open Gate system as a portable weapons detector that uses electromagnetic technology and algorithms to screen backpacks, purses and bags and to ignore common small items while targeting larger threat objects.

Visitor screening and reporting: Sumners described the Raptor Visitor Management System, noting it is used in thousands of schools to screen and track visitors; the system checks government‑issued IDs against the National "***" Offender Registry (the transcript redacted one term) and a district trespass database. The district also highlighted the Say Something, See Something portal, an anonymous tip system used since 2019 to submit safety concerns confidentially to schools.

Role of school resource officers: Demetrio Perez, Safety and Security Specialist, explained that school resource officers (SROs) enforce North Carolina law on campus and also partner with administrators to support students. Perez, a former SRO supervisor, said SROs can be both law enforcement and mentors and praised the Say Something portal for enabling anonymous reporting.

Clarifications: presenters listed common items that can set off weapons detectors — laptops, three‑ring binders, umbrellas and eyeglass cases with metal hinges — and asked visitors to set those items aside before walking through detectors. The session did not disclose vendor contracts, procurement timelines, precise locations for detector deployment, or detailed cost breakdowns for the 2024 investments.

Ending: officials urged families to cooperate with safety procedures, reminded parents not to board buses without authorization, and directed families to the district website for more information.