The New Kensington Arnold School District (NKASD) in Pennsylvania has introduced significant enhancements to its security measures by implementing 911 Camera Sharing. This initiative aims to bolster safety across the campus and expedite emergency response times.
By granting the local 911 Dispatch Center real-time access to live video feeds from school security cameras, responders are provided with immediate and essential situational awareness, thereby improving decision-making and reducing response times during crises. The technology aims to ensure the safety of students and staff while offering peace of mind to parents and the wider community.
Critical situational awareness
Gene Good, the 911 Operations Chief at the Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety, emphasised the system's impact, stating, “This is a game changer for emergency services. When a 911 call comes in near the school, dispatchers automatically receive a prompt that there’s a camera, and can immediately see what's happening on the ground. This is a key component in providing safe schools.”
The principal of Valley Junior-Senior High School in New Kensington, Jon Banko, also highlighted the importance of safety, noting, “The safety of our students is our top priority. We want parents to feel confident that we are providing a safe and healthy environment for learning.”
Comprehensive security system
This extensive security system upgrade is the result of a collaborative effort
This extensive security system upgrade is the result of a collaborative effort involving the local security integration firm 2Krew Security & Surveillance, the NKASD administration, and several key stakeholders, including the IT Director, School Resource Officer, and the New Kensington Arnold Police Department.
According to NKASD IT Director Phil Brautigam, the recently deployed cloud-native system “provides value and ease of use,” allowing for centralised security management. The district's security infrastructure benefits from Brivo’s unified door access control, video surveillance, and proactive detection of illegal vaping whilst maintaining student privacy, along with the assurance that 911 Camera Sharing can be activated in emergencies.
Protecting student privacy
Brian Kozlosky, President of 2Krew Security & Surveillance, played a pivotal role alongside Brautigam, school officials, and local law enforcement in developing and deploying the system. “In partnership with Brivo, we installed cloud-native access control to secure all school access points across the district, we incorporated video surveillance, vaping, and other environmental sensors,” Kozlosky explained.
“With the addition of 911 Camera Sharing, we have a unified, scalable, future-proof system in place for the community.” Brivo CEO Dean Drako praised the project as a prime example of proactive campus safety powered by cloud-native AI-driven physical security. He noted, “This project clearly illustrates why successful security integrators like 2Krew prioritise close collaboration with the customer, community members, and manufacturer partners to design the ideal system to help the school district achieve its objectives.”
