Texas Border Business
Mission, Texas – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that the Mission Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) has been awarded a large grant. The grant comes from the DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) that provides funding designed to enhance school safety. The DOJ announcement indicates the funds are to be used to develop or improve school safety projects, such as enhancing school threat assessment efforts, as well as to implement technological solutions that improve reporting of suspicious activity in and around schools.
Mission CISD has been awarded $367,374. The district will use the funds to purchase a special two-way, digital radio system for security officers and a system of panic alert buttons for schools and facilities.
“Through this grant, we will be able to implement a new, state-of-the-art, district-wide, security radio system for our officers,” explained Martin Castañeda, coordinator for safety and security. “Once in place, our officers will be able to communicate between campuses for improved responses when needed. Plus, the new system will allow us to communicate directly with our community first responders as a part of their radio system. This can really make a difference in emergency responses.”
The grant will also help Mission CISD purchase a panic button style emergency alert system at each of the district’s schools and operational/support facilities. Castañeda indicated this can also greatly improve emergency response times.
“The COPS grant will really help the district as it continues to make improvements to school safety and security,” said Dr. Carol G. Perez, superintendent of schools. “We are continuously working on improvements and strengthening communication with our community first responder partners should really help make a difference.”
Mission CISD is one of only 103 schools or school districts in the country to receive funds designed specifically for school safety measures that includes; coordination with law enforcement; technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency; other measures that the COPS Office determines may provide a significant improvement in security.
Mission CISD officials plan to have the systems in place and operational by the spring of 2020.
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