To help law enforcement better respond to emergencies, all New Jersey schools must submit digital maps of their property to local law enforcement under a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday.
U In August, Murphy visited Paramus schools, where he announced a $6.5 million investment in America’s Rescue Plan funds for the School Safety Initiative to collect and digitize blueprints of school buildings and make them available to first responders.
The law is designed to improve school safety and will take effect in the 2023-24 school year. It would require officials — board of education members, trustees or chief school administrators — to provide “critical incident map data for all schools and school districts” to local law enforcement.
“Time and time again, we have seen public mass shootings across our country. Providing our law enforcement and first responders with a data map of critical incidents will assist them in their efforts in the event of a school emergency,” said Murphy. through the release.
The digital maps will give law enforcement officers accurate visualizations of school interiors with floor plans, exits, entrances, windows and other access points in the event of an active shooter or other security threats such as fire, Murphy said at East Brook High School in Paramus in August.
Critical incident map data includes:
- Aerial photos of schools
- Floor plans including room and suite numbers
- Construction of access points
- Location of hazardous materials and utility closures
- Any other relevant location information
Cartographic data must be regularly updated and copies provided to authorized law enforcement agencies.
“Our team continues to work closely with our law enforcement and education partners across the state as we work to implement this innovative mapping technology that will serve as a critical tool for rapid response,” said Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Laurie R. Doran.
1,500 public schools have already been mapped using a technology used by the US military called Collaborative Response Graphics, or CRG. 6.5 million US dollars will be used to decorate the remaining 1,500 public and non-public schools in the state, the governor’s office said. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and State Police will create the maps.
Murphy’s August announcement followed the passage of a state law passed Aug. 1 that requires schools to create threat assessment teams to alert school administrators to students who may pose a risk to their safety and security.
“Student safety is a top priority for every school official, and this legislation takes us a giant step forward in school safety,” said Acting State Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan.
The digital maps will “harden” school buildings, giving police accurate information when responding to emergencies, while threat assessment teams will handle the human side of school security, Murphy said.
“Keeping our children safe is and always will be our top priority. As gun violence continues to reach every corner of our country, including our schools, working to protect our children is now more important than ever,” said Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
Almost an hour’s delay in getting the classroom key and the slow, uncoordinated police response to shooting at an elementary school in Uwald, Texas, led to an official investigation and dismissal of the school police chief. Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in a May school shooting in Uvalde.
Staff writer Mary Ann Korut contributed to this report.
