Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Police response time is key element

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We must accept the fact that there is no such thing as guaranteed safety in schools or anyplace else. Even if there were an armed security guard in every classroom, there could still be mass shootings. Instead of arming teachers, having armed security in schools, etc., we should leave the fighting to the professionals, the police, and devise a means of improving their response time.

This could be done with a relatively simple technological system. Individuals — teachers, etc. — would have an electronic device, similar in size to a cellphone, with uniquely shaped push buttons for police, fire and medical emergencies.

Pressing any of the buttons would communicate with an on-site electronic device that would activate an automated 911 call, with a pre-recorded message, which would include the type of emergency — police, fire or medical — and the name and address of the school, business, government building, or even a residential address. Removing the human element from the 911 call — the emotion, the confusion, the stress — police response time would be improved, and could be improved further by having rapid-response units available to respond to “priority” 911 calls, such as calls from schools.

The technology to implement this is not much more complicated than an answering machine with cordless phones. Surely, a nation that has sent a man to the moon could implement this with ease.

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