The Placard System

If there were ever to be an active school shooter, there would be law enforcement officers coming from several agencies, including other counties and the state. The placard system allows all law enforcement officers to be on the same page, even if they may have never been to the school. The placard system gives important information to law enforcement officers so they can make better decisions for faster results.

Placards will be placed outside the school, above all exterior doors and will be labeled with the first letter of the cardinal direction, followed by a number (ex: N1, N2 and E1, E2). The numbers will then be in sequential order going in a clockwise manner. By labeling with the first initial of the cardinal direction, we are simplifying critical information for emergency responders (i.e. which direction of the school they should enter prior to being on scene). By receiving this piece of valuable information, the law enforcement officer can plan which road to take or direction of the building they should stage their vehicle without being too far away from it.

Once inside the school, the placard system helps identify which part of the building the officer is located in and where they may need to go. Placards will be placed throughout the school buildings, at every entrance/exit and at the end of each hallway. Placards will be placed perpendicular from the wall for easier visibility of the number and letter. The placards may be glow in the dark in case the building ever lost power or the lights were turned off.

Inside every entrance will be a large blueprint (matrix) of the school, labeled with the placards that are placed throughout the school. The matrix is information that provides law enforcement with their current location, as well as a map to where they need to go. This same matrix located at the school will also be at the local dispatch center to further aid communication and coordination of responders on the ground.