Sheriff asks board to consider new school alert system; Raptor demo deferred to work session

Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton told supervisors that the county's school alert system vendor (Intrado / COPSYNC) is winding down and that alternatives were reviewed. The committee recommended Raptor because it offers wearable lanyard‑style alert buttons and an option to add strobe lights for larger campuses. The Raptor implementation and first‑year cost was presented as $123,230 (implementation + first year); annual renewal after the first year was presented as about $63,000.

Sheriff Overton described the security rationale: an app or wearable that triggers a 9‑1‑1 alert with geofence‑aware location reduces response time. He also warned the board the incumbent vendor would end supported service (reported August 31), so the county needs a transition plan. Supervisors asked for clearer budget responsibility and whether the existing county budget contains the line item; staff said the fiscal 2027 budget had not assumed the new system and recommended further discussion.

Given the technical and procurement details and an implementation discount that would expire if the county waited beyond a vendor window, the board agreed to add the Raptor proposal to the scheduled Thursday work session so staff, the sheriff and school IT can present a full plan including funding sources and a hard implementation schedule. "If we do not sign before July 30, it will go up in price by $28,350," a staff representative said; the board requested the vendor's demonstration materials and total‑cost‑of‑ownership analysis for Thursday.