ISC East Booth 232- ELERTS Corp., a provider of smartphone emergency communication systems, announced the roll out of Lock It Down™, a communication tool for schools seeking to respond quickly to escalating incidents of school violence.

ELERTS Lock It Down™ (LID) supports iPhone and Android devices and integrates real-time chat with photos and GPS maps to facilitate the rapid exchange of information during a school security event. Any authorized user of ELERTS LID may initiate a facility lockdown at the press of a button from their mobile device. School staff and first responders can share security and safety concerns during — and even before — a crisis arises. Research indicates that instantaneous communication before an emergency unfolds can be critical to the successful de-escalation of the event, the company stated.

Ed English, ELERTS’ CEO said, “We designed ELERTS Lock It Down™ as a means for school staff to share information and to report suspicious behavior before potential threats escalate to violence. School personnel can easily report something — a suspicious person in the parking lot or a student exhibiting unusual, threatening or suspicious behavior — using LID’s chat function. These reports are sent by the ELERTS LID smartphone app and can provide law enforcement with important information to evaluate a threat and respond accordingly.”

If an authorized ELERTS LID user observes imminent danger, they may use the app to initiate a lockdown of the school, to secure the building before a suspect gets inside. ELERTS LID is compatible with most access control systems that can electronically lock the doors and selectively disable swipe cards.

ELERTS LID complies with new U.S. Department of Education (DOE) best practices. In June, the DOE released its “Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operation Plans,” which outlines how to plan for crisis situations such as natural disasters or active shooters. The new guidelines cover a variety of best practices for an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), focusing on training school staff to react as first responders even before police arrive.

For information, visit www.elerts.com