Denver Public Schools enhances safety response with CentralSquare Technologies

CentralSquare Technologies has announced that Denver Public Schools (DPS) will implement its Public Safety Pro Suite to enhance emergency response coordination within the district.

 The new system is scheduled to be operational for the 2024-2025 school year. It aims to streamline communication and improve the speed of responses to safety incidents at DPS facilities.

Currently, DPS’s Department of Safety relies on external GPS sources to determine the proximity of safety personnel to incidents at school locations, a process that can delay response times. 

Integrating CentralSquare’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system is expected to allow for better mapping and real-time information sharing, enhancing the efficiency of response efforts. 

Jennifer Weston, Dispatch Supervisor at DPS, stated:

“Officers currently use outside GPS sources to identify how close an incident is to a school, taking critical time away from active response. School safety extends beyond the perimeters of the school facilities, so we need solutions like CentralSquare’s CAD to integrate mapping and create a seamless flow of information for our responders.”

DPS, which serves 88,000 students and employs 10,000 staff across 207 schools, has reported receiving 18,000 calls since August 2023. The CentralSquare technology will also include capabilities for automatic vehicle locator (AVL) tracking and data categorisation to assist in managing these incidents more effectively.

DPS will adopt CentralSquare’s Records Management System (RMS) to improve the generation and accuracy of reports by officers in the field.

Joe Beasley, Vice President of Public Safety and Justice at CentralSquare Technologies, highlighted the necessity of the technology for school districts managing complex safety operations. He explained:

“Public safety response can be a complex challenge for school districts to navigate coordination between school resource officers, local city, county and state police. This makes it critical to have the right technology in place to break down barriers in communication and enable faster, more coordinated responses when time is of the essence and the safety of students and staff is on the line.”