Central Falls public schools implementing COPsync911 alert system

James Diossa is the mayor of Central Falls. / COURTESY CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS
James Diossa is the mayor of Central Falls. / COURTESY CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS

CENTRAL FALLS – Central Falls public schools will be the first in the state to implement the COPsync911 alert system, which allows staff to send an immediate and silent alert to all other staff, the local law enforcement dispatch center, all patrol cars and on-duty law enforcement officers, in the event of an emergency.
Mayor James A. Diossa announced that the new system – which he said is faster than calling 911 – is in place for the 2015-2016 school year.
The service allows officers receive threat alerts directly to the computers in their patrol cars, where they can immediately access a map to see the location of the school, and view a diagram of the building’s interior, the release stated.

“The rollout of COPsync911 in Central Falls reflects the city’s commitment to implementing innovative technologies, especially when it can help ensure the safety of our students and teachers,” Diossa said in a statement. “We believe this rollout illustrates the strong level of cooperation that exists among our school district, our law enforcement officers and our citizens to secure this goal.”

Central Falls School District Superintendent Victor Capellan said, “Nobody can pick up a newspaper these days and not come away concerned for the need to improve the safety of schools. The COPsync911 alert system is a proactive tool designed to help us deal with a broad range of situations that can occur on school grounds. These not only include violent incidents, but also urgent situations such as sick students or teachers, fires and other emergencies. The system also allows school districts to effectively mitigate the risk of liability they might face in the wake of such incidents.”
Col. James J. Mendonca, Central Falls police chief, said that having the COPsync911 system in place will “significantly reduce the time required for police to respond to a critical incident” at the schools.
He said it also will help coordinate the response effort among school staff, dispatchers and officers.
“This system significantly enhances the ability of officers dedicated to protecting our schools to do so in a timely and effective manner,” Mendonca said.

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