Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith, Is Spearheading Change for School Safety in Texas
Motivated by the findings of the DOJ report on the Uvalde School Shooting Response, Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith is taking action to enhance school safety in Texas. In the fall of 2023, Sheriff Smith and other law enforcement in East Texas conducted thorough research, seeking to improve school safety in Texas. Their findings identified Mutualink as the premiere solution for addressing gaps in emergency response. Read the below press release to learn more about how Sheriff Smith is making Smith County a leader in school safety in Texas by utilizing Mutualink’s Automated Emergency Response technology to speed response time in a crisis and save lives.
For Immediate Release:
January 24, 2024
Contact:
Ann Baldwin | Baldwin Media
ann@baldwinmedia.net
(860) 985-5621
Smith County Texas-Ahead of the Curve Regarding School Safety
Smith County, TX [1/24/24] – In the wake of the recent Department of Justice (DOJ) report on the Uvalde shooting incident at Robb Elementary, Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith, is taking decisive action to enhance school safety across East Texas. The report highlighted a concerning delay of more than 77 minutes for law enforcement to enter the classrooms and confront the shooter.
Sheriff Larry Smith expressed deep concern over the report, emphasizing the need to prioritize the safety of children in schools. “There’s nothing more innocent than children. They deserve our support and they deserve to be able to learn without having to be concerned about what is going to happen next in their school,” said Sheriff Smith.
The decision was made to make school safety a top priority by installing Mutualink in Whitehouse ISD back in the fall of 2023 in order to address this critical issue of time. Sheriff Smith and other law enforcement in East Texas conducted thorough research and decided to implement Mutualink, the world leader in critical response collaboration.
“The first thing that drew us to Mutualink is radio interoperability. We can talk to each other once a button is pushed, and all law enforcement and first responders are tied together, putting eyes and ears on the situation within seconds. If you can’t communicate, you can’t coordinate,” explained Sheriff Smith.
Mutualink’s LNK360 activation is based in the Smith County Sheriff’s 911 Dispatch Center, providing a centralized hub for efficient communication. Chief Deputy Jimmy Jackson expressed confidence in the system’s ability to respond swiftly in an emergency. “With Mutualink, when the dispatcher gets that notification, within seconds it allows us to put some eyes and ears in the school. This gives us critical information that helps us save lives in an emergency.”
Chief Deputy Jackson further emphasized the benefits of the Mutualink system, stating, “When officers get dispatched to that call, they are able to access ‘real-time’ information, and knowing what you are walking into helps you make decisions, plan, and gives you peace of mind. Using innovative technology ought to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.”
About Mutualink, Inc.
Mutualink, Inc. is the leading technology provider of a best-in-class intelligent multimedia network that enables public safety community partners to securely share voice, text, video and data for instant communications and real-time data sharing. Certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act for interoperable communications, partners and clients trust Mutualink, Inc. to provide innovative, scalable, secure solutions they rely on every day and in any emergency. www.mutualink.net
###
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ann Baldwin | Baldwin Media
ann@baldwinmedia.net
(860) 985-5621
For more information about Mutualink:
