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LCPS describes new visitor, camera and notification systems; board hears early results from weapons‑detection rollout
Summary
District staff updated the board on new security systems — Verkada visitor management and camera integration, a reunification tool in development, and a state-funded Rave emergency-notification option — and reported initial operational experience with weapons-detection checkpoints and next steps for staff training and equipment upgrades.
Las Cruces Public Schools’ safety team on Thursday briefed the board on several security investments and early results from the start-of-year weapons‑detection program and new visitor/camera systems.
Chief points: - Verkada deployment: LCPS is moving visitor management, cameras and intercoms onto Verkada’s platform. Secretaries and central staff told district operations the new kiosks and optional QR-code check-in reduce bottlenecks and allow translation in multiple languages. The district integrated roughly 1,000 cameras into the Verkada cloud platform via connector hardware; a small number of older cameras will be replaced on a planned yearly refresh. - Reunification: Verkada is developing a reunification module jointly with the district. When fully online, the district said, parents who arrive at a designated reunification site can be verified electronically and students marked as released in the system to reduce traffic and speed reunification during a large-scale evacuations. - Weapons detection: The district reported about 281,972 total passes through detection checkpoints in the initial weeks and roughly 28,740 alerts total (about a 10% alert rate). Staff said alerts have primarily been benign items (pocket knives, metal tools, safety-toe boots, law-enforcement officers), and principals reported fewer bathroom and vaping incidents and fewer discipline issues in areas covered by checkpoints; no verified incidents of firearms were reported aside from law-enforcement entries identified by the system. - Rave emergency notifications: LCPS described a planned rollout of the Rave emergency/notification platform; the district said state appropriations make the tool available without district license fees and that they will provide staff training before enabling the system on district devices. When activated in an emergency, Rave can send an immediate alert to dispatch with geocoded location information.
Board members asked about impacts on student tardiness and review of wait times. Staff said a portion of tardies are students arriving very close to bell time and noted principals are deploying additional temporary staff and security to reduce bottlenecks; some one-time equipment and shade/tent purchases were funded from grant rollover to reduce wait time and improve conditions for staff and students during screening. Trustees asked for an end-of-semester temperature check including parent, student and administrator surveys; district staff agreed to return with an operational summary and cost estimate for camera replacements and any ongoing needs.
The district said additional equipment purchases to modernize the oldest cameras would be funded as part of a routine capital-refresh plan and that the reunification tool and Rave rollout will be accompanied by training for staff and first responders.
