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District safety director outlines layered security plan, technology and staffing needs
Summary
Sal Maniaci, executive director of safety and security, told the board March 23 that the district uses layered security — fencing, access control, bollards, high‑security gates (15‑second delay), surveillance command centers, body‑worn cameras, gunshot detection and concealed‑weapon screening — and that staffing and maintenance remain limiting factors.
Sal Maniaci, executive director of safety and security, presented a comprehensive report on Rio Rancho Public Schools' safety and security posture on March 23 and outlined near‑term priorities.
Maniaci described an organizational structure with managers for high schools and lead security staff for each high school and elementary portfolios, and he said the district maintains an in‑house lock shop and two locksmiths to support more than 12,000 district doors. He described exterior perimeter improvements (welded‑wire fencing and bollards) and noted use of bullet‑resistant film on some elementary school windows as a low‑visibility protection measure.
On access control, Maniaci described high‑security gates built with mechanical delays to prevent elopement and accidental egress; the hardware provides a roughly 15‑second delay. The district operates two surveillance command centers (Rio Rancho High School and Cleveland High School), body‑worn cameras with cloud storage for evidential integrity, gunshot‑detection sensors that combine infrared and acoustic signals to reduce false alarms and integrate with access control for immediate lockdown, and an Evolve concealed‑weapon detection system designed to minimize student throughput impacts.
Maniaci stressed the value of interagency radios that connect district officers directly with Rio Rancho Police, the county sheriff and state police, and described close relationships with Rio Rancho Police and New Mexico State Police for joint training (including bomb‑tech training). He also said the district uses a strict selection and in‑house training program for security personnel and operates both armed and unarmed security officer programs.
Board members thanked Maniaci and asked about priorities; Maniaci cited fencing replacements, expansion of bullet‑resistant film where appropriate, and the need for more security personnel and training time as next steps.
