33 | Challenges Threat mitigation requires an integrated security system with real-time threat detection Saranac Community Schools, like most smaller school systems, did the best it could with the funding and staffing available but was burdened with outdated and limited security technology. They made due with a few plug-in IP cameras, a radio in each building and telephones in classrooms. Yet, camera coverage was limited to just a few locations and required active monitoring from staff, who were already stretched thin. “When you’re talking about security, there’s so many ways you have to coordinate when it’s manual,” says Jason Smith, Superintendent and Transportation Director for Saranac Community Schools. “With an integrated system, if you can monitor and trigger an action automatically, it would save time and I wouldn’t have to worry about it.” That’s why Saranac officials knew they wanted an integrated system that would include video security, radio alerts and even access control systems. If they could leverage their previous security investments and add new features like AI, all the better. A clear need to upgrade, an unclear path to get started With school shootings and other violence rising in Michigan and throughout the country, Saranac knew it couldn’t wait any longer, it had to make substantial changes to its security systems. “We didn’t have much security, we were very, very limited,” said Smith. “But in the last few years, the issue of school safety hit closer to home and the need for security upgrades became more apparent. We realized we couldn’t wait, we had to act.” Yet, Saranac, like many districts its size, assumed the latest security technology was out of reach for a smaller school system. “Both funding and staffing were issues,” said Superintendent Smith. “Even once we knew what we needed, the can kept getting kicked down the road, because no one had the time or expertise to figure how we could pay for it and the thought was we probably couldn’t afford it anyway.” When Saranac personnel began to search for options, they knew they wanted a company with a local presence, so that they could quickly receive in-person support, instead of a phone call with someone potentially sitting multiple states away. Case studies
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