CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — 8 clicks. That’s all it takes for this badge to alert authorities about a threat on campus.
The wearable badge is made by Centegix. When the teacher or staff member activates it, the badge sends an alert. According to this report, a former FBI agent said he believes the system helped save lives during the school shooting that took place in Winder, Georgia in September.
It has two different modes and the first mode is triggered by three clicks.
KRIS6 Neighborhood News reporter, Tony Jaramillo spoke with Flour Bluff ISD Chief of Police, Eric Gonzalez, about the system.
"The three clicks is for staff alerts. This is for everyday situations where a teacher or staff could be confronted with a medical emergency, a disturbance, could be a couple of kids fighting," Chief Gonzalez said.
Eight or more clicks on the badge alerts authorities of a situation like a school threat. The campus-wide alert instantly initiates a campus-wide rapid response to emergencies, which Chief Gonzalez said is incredibly fast.
"They will have a computer takeover where it actually shows where the event is taking place. They can download it onto their phones, they can download it onto their computers, so whenever that incident does happen, they know exactly where to go."
Flour Bluff explained that the technology pings the exact location of the person who pushed the button.
"Every campus has hubs in the hallways and classrooms, near the restrooms. If you push it it’s going to hit the nearest beacon and it’s going to show the nearest officer where that button was pushed," Chief Gonzalez said.
The district is paid up on the Centegix technology for the next three years at about 300,000 dollars, which was paid for by a grant. Chief Gonzalez tells Tony Jaramillo every single employee is issued a badge.
"The staff members, they love it. It kind of gives them a peace of mind to do exactly what they’re here to do and that’s teach. It puts the safety and security into our hands," Chief Gonzalez said.
He added it is difficult to accidentally press the button and said staff members received training on how to use the device.
"The onboarding portion of Centegix has been taking place over the last couple of weeks. Every staff member, every groundskeeper, every custodian has this training on how to use the badge," Gonzalez said.
Flour Bluff district officials told Tony Jaramillo this technology is now available to all seven of the district's campuses.
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