District Buys New Radio System after Shooting
By: Jacob Long, WMBD/WYZZ-TV
Updated: January 15, 2013
NORMAL - McLean County's Unit Five School District is beefing up its internal communication after a school shooting.
A 14-year-old freshman last September opened fire inside a classroom at Normal Community High School.
No one was hurt, but district leaders had trouble communicating with first responders and with each other using the district's cell phone network.
So now it's buying a new two-way radio system called Starcom 21. It's the same system most major law enforcement agencies use in McLean County.
Superintendent Dr. Gary Niehaus expects communication to improve during crisis situations, but also during day-to-day situations.
"We feel good that we're doing it for the betterment of our security and safety in our district, but equally it's functional. Something we can use on a day to day basis," he said.
The system costs $247,000 and has 30 channels that will work between every district building.
A 14-year-old freshman last September opened fire inside a classroom at Normal Community High School.
No one was hurt, but district leaders had trouble communicating with first responders and with each other using the district's cell phone network.
So now it's buying a new two-way radio system called Starcom 21. It's the same system most major law enforcement agencies use in McLean County.
Superintendent Dr. Gary Niehaus expects communication to improve during crisis situations, but also during day-to-day situations.
"We feel good that we're doing it for the betterment of our security and safety in our district, but equally it's functional. Something we can use on a day to day basis," he said.
The system costs $247,000 and has 30 channels that will work between every district building.
