CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and a school district in the Mundelein area are teaming up on a pilot safety program.
Fremont School District 79 Supt. Bill Robertson said that, in any type of emergency situation, time is of the essence. Under the pilot program, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be given access to data about any of the district's four schools and it will be able to pull up that information on a special internal website.
The sheriff's office will have things like administrator contact numbers, school enrollment numbers and information about special needs students who might need extra resources during an evacuation.
Law enforcement will also be able to connect with any live in-school cameras that may be available as well as have school floor plans and photos of all exits and entrances of each school.
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in a critical incident, seconds matter and can be the difference between life and death.
“Time is of the essence in any type of emergency situation,” Robertson said, in a statement. “We are grateful to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for the opportunity to serve as a pilot District to ensure that we are all prepared as much as possible should an emergency arise. We’d also like to thank the LCSO for its ongoing collaboration and presence around our schools as we continue to place a priority on safety.
“In a critical incident seconds matter – they can make the difference between life and death. A major priority I’ve set is to drastically enhance our school safety efforts throughout Lake County. I believe this is an area of crucial importance and we need to increase our focus on the safety of our children in the school setting, as mass tragedies continue to occur at our schools around the country. This innovative school safety enhancement will give us an immediate internal view, should a critical incident occur at one of our schools.”
Idleburg said that, once any problems are worked out, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office plans to work out similar safety plans with other school districts in the county.