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Perkiomen Valley officials outline taser training, AED expansion and camera upgrades
Summary
Chief Miller and district leaders told the Safety & Operations Committee that taser equipment has arrived and training with Lower Providence Police is planned; AED coverage will nearly double and a $90,000 camera grant will fund replacements and upgrades.
Chief Miller, the district’s school police chief, briefed the Perkiomen Valley School District Safety & Operations Committee on security training, equipment and staffing changes.
Miller said the district has received taser equipment and plans staff refresher training "by March," arranged cooperatively with the Lower Providence Police. He described the taser as a "less lethal option" and said its intended use would be case-by-case: "The impetus for the use of a taser was to have a, less lethal option. If someone were armed, if someone were, extremely combative, in a violent way, threatening people, that's that was the impetus for that." Miller added that the training will emphasize thresholds for use with adolescents and include situational scenario work.
Miller also reported the district received a camera grant he identified at about $90,000 and is replacing antiquated systems and addressing identified gaps. "We have some of the cameras already in house. We just have not installed them yet as we work through the process of how to manage them on the server," he said.
On medical emergency preparedness, Miller said the district is working with the health and wellness team to increase AED placements and training. He told the committee the plan is to train a team equal to 10% of each building’s staff and to install recommended devices this month, which will nearly double the number of AEDs districtwide.
Miller updated the committee on staffing after a recent security vacancy at the high school following the retirement of Mr. Horan. He said the district is discussing repurposing that vacancy as a split shift or converting an existing security position into a school police officer. "It would be, I think, a benefit to have somebody here, a district representative throughout the evening," he said, noting the financial difference for creating a school police officer post was "within a thousand dollars" relative to the budgeted line for current staff but that true-up costs (seniority, equipment) could be larger.
Committee members asked several operational questions during discussion, including about the threshold for taser use, whether staff and teachers will be included in reunification and tabletop exercises, certification tracking and potential equipment needs tied to any new school police positions. Miller said he maintains certificates for trainings and will share those ahead of the June 30 reporting date.
The committee also recognized several positive first‑response actions by staff: Miller and others reported Officer Leo Vogel performed a Heimlich maneuver to help a choking student and the group discussed expanding Heimlich and similar emergency-response training for cafeteria monitors and other non-police staff.
The committee did not take a formal vote on these items during the meeting; Miller and administration said they will return with cost and staffing details as proposals are refined.
