FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Media Contact: Don Flanagan
(978) 624-7624
dflanagan@inforcetechnology.com
In Force Technology’s President & CEO Provides Testimony to Boston City Council as Key Panelist on Hearing to Enhance School Safety Throughout Boston Public Schools
Media note: In Force Technology CEO, Brandon Flanagan is available via telephone, Skype, or any Boston television satellite studios.
Boston, MA – On May 12th, In Force Technology’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Brandon Flanagan was invited by the Boston City Council’s Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice to appear as an expert panelist to discuss matters relative to school safety.
The panelist participants included Boston Public Schools Superintendent, Mary Skipper, Dr. Samuel DePina, Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Dr. Tanya Freeman, Secondary School Superintendent as well as Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, and Deputy Superintendent James Chin. Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty, Chairman of the Committee on Public Safety outlined that last year Boston reported 440 incidents of bullying and 744 sexual assaults. This year Boston Public Schools reported gunshots, physical attacks, loaded guns and shots fired. Flaherty, a strong proponent of school safety, opened the hearing by asking each panelist to offer the city recommendations on how to make Boston’s public schools safer.
In line with the Boston City Council’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee’s order for a Hearing Regarding Public Safety Measures and Recommendations for Boston Schools and the Boston Police brought forth a number of proposals.
The panelists addressed topics ranging from mental health, after school programs, drug intervention, enhanced communication between the police and the schools as well as using advanced technology in the schools. The order outlined the following: “The recent rise in violent offenses toward students and educators in the Boston Public Schools requires immediate public safety attention and actions to ensure a safe learning environment for all who frequent our schools”.
Brandon Flanagan, one of the key panelists, delivered the following opening remarks: “As a subject matter expert on school safety, a certified ALiCE instructor and active first responder, I have learned that the most effective school safety strategies are those less visible or, even invisible when compared to “quick-fix fad technologies. Simply put, real-time communication and interaction between principals, teachers, support staff and law enforcement is the pillar of the school safety strategy.” Flanagan also commented, “today’s benchmark for police efficiency is the response time – the time between notification of an incident and arrival time on scene. It was for this purpose that In Force Technology developed IN FORCE911. Today, the Company is providing its revolutionary school safety application to districts throughout the Commonwealth and United States.
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