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Greensville schools demo Guard 911 app, sheriff’s office to bypass lockboxes for faster entry
Summary
The Greensville County School Board heard a demonstration of Guard 9-1-1, an active-shooter alert app that simultaneously notifies 911 and law enforcement; officials also said the sheriff’s office will no longer use exterior lockboxes to speed entry during emergencies.
Greensville County School Board members on Feb. 10 heard a live demonstration of Guard 9-1-1, a smartphone-based alert system administrators and law-enforcement partners say can notify dispatchers and nearby officers within about 30–45 seconds of activation.
Superintendent Kelvin M. Edwards Sr. and representatives from the Greensville County Sheriff’s Department described tests of the system conducted last week at the high school and in a separate drill at Greensville Elementary. Captain Pare of the sheriff’s department said the app sends an automated alert to 911 and to law enforcement on duty and off duty within the local radius once a staff member activates the intruder button. “All it takes is one person to activate it,” Captain Pare said, noting the rapid dispatcher and officer notification during the gym test.
Board members and administrators said the pilot aims to reduce the time it takes responders to get an accurate location inside a school, a recurring problem in past active-shooter incidents nationwide. Edwards said the district tested the app with staff in the gym and that the alert reached law enforcement before full call details were available from dispatch. When activated, the app also displays the incident location for responders and pushes a notification to other school staff who have the app installed.
Officials described three separate buttons in the app: teacher-assist (non-911 assistance), 911-only, and the intruder alert used in the demonstration. Administrators said the intruder alert can notify officers within a roughly 20–25 mile radius and also ring into the county 911 center. The district said the top intruder button will trigger both the external law-enforcement alert and internal school notifications such as the principal and identified gatekeepers.
The board also discussed operational changes intended to speed law-enforcement access. Officials said the sheriff’s office and Emporia police will now enter schools without first manipulating exterior lockboxes so officers can move into buildings faster during an emergency; administrators said that change was made after consulting with Captain Pare to avoid losing “precious seconds.”
Board members pressed officials on staff training and consistency across schools. Edwards said principals notified staff about the drill and the district has distributed a training video; he acknowledged some staff were absent for the exercise and said the district will work to ensure all staff receive the training. The district plans future, larger-scale drills that include state troopers and outside agencies to exercise unified command, student–parent reunification points and community coordination.
The board did not take formal action on Guard 9-1-1 during the meeting; administrators presented the pilot results and said they will continue implementation and further drills.
