District reports drop in law-enforcement incidents after Open Gate safety systems installed

Lee County School Board members heard a mid‑year safety update Feb. 4 showing a drop in law‑enforcement incidents at school sites after the district implemented the Open Gate entry screening system.

Chief Dave Newland, the district's safety lead, told the board the district compared August–December 2023 with August–December 2024 and found total incidents reported by four local law‑enforcement partners fell from 604 to 366 — a decrease he summarized as “about 39%.” Newland said the district receives monthly reports from partner agencies that include arrests, notices to appear and civil citations and that the district will continually monitor the trend.

The data Newland presented showed decreases by agency: he said the Lee County Sheriff's Office incidents fell about 40% (to roughly 174 incidents in the mid‑year comparison), Fort Myers Police Department declined about 29% and Cape Coral Police Department about 42%. He cited site‑level examples including steep declines in nicotine/vaping violations at Monroe High School since the Open Gate system was put in place.

“Safety and security is my top priority coming into this district,” Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin said after the presentation, thanking Newland and staff for providing the monthly reports to the board. “We were thrilled. Obviously, you see most areas experiencing a decline, and so we wanted to make sure we share this with you.”

Board members asked for additional breakdowns. Board member Jordan asked for a school‑by‑school count of incidents to see where decreases were strongest; Newland said he could provide the raw data by site, month and violation type. Board member Berson asked whether Lee County is unique in having Open Gate at every school; Newland said other districts have made contact to study the program but he was not certain how many districts have automated entry screening at 100% of sites.

Members also asked for a breakdown of citations by student versus adult/visitor, and for information about persistent “hot spots” on campuses where students congregate. Newland said staff can produce an adult/student split and that they coordinate reports of hotspots with local law enforcement for targeted monitoring.

The district said it will continue monthly safety updates and provide full‑year comparisons when available.

Ending: The board did not take formal action on the report at the workshop; staff said they will return with school‑level data and continue monthly safety briefings.