Stonington 'Panic Button' School Security Pilot A First

By Ellyn Santiago

A panic button system created and still used by the Westerly Police Department was the seed for an idea developed and now being tested by the Stonington Police Department and Stonington Public Schools that would have a panic button pushed in a “life threatening emergency” in a local school which would trigger an automatic lockdown of the school but also send the signal to police cruisers, fire and other first responders and the town highway department.

“We will do whatever it takes to keep our children safe,” said SPD Capt. Jerry Desmond after a chilling ‘active shooter drill’ at West Vine Street Elementary School Tuesday. 

Desmond had explained to Patch last week that the program was at once an "innovative idea" and an idea born out of necessity. He said following the Sandy Hook school massacre last December, Stonington Police began exploring even better security for schools, besides what was already in place including cameras, barrier walls and specially treated glass. 

"We asked ourselves a lot of questions: How do we not only increase our presence in the schools but increase our response time and get all responders on board. The panic button idea, we installed buttons in each classroom, means if there is a life threatening emergency, a teacher can hit that button, the school locks down and police in their cruisers and fire (officials) get the alert so everyone knows at once and if we need to, we can set up a permitter. Our response time is immediate."

Following the drill, SPD demonstrated the panic button system for a group that included Stonington Public Schools Superintendent Van Riley, First Selectman Edward Haberek, Scott Bates and Police Commission members, SPD Chief Darren Stewart, fire officials including Kevin Burns of Pawcatuck Fire who suggested the panic button idea and Westerly’s Town Manager Steven T Hartford and Police Chief Edward St. Clair among others including a throng of media.

Stonington Police already have a number of school security measures in place including cameras, which provide a direct view from the police department into all Stonington schools. The new panic button system is being piloted at West Vine.


Ruth Rose, elementary program facilitator at West Vine said the students at the school understand that security drills are “a part of everyday life.”

“And they understand that we are here to keep them safe,” she said.

Stewart praised the program and the technology: “The sooner a police officer can respond, the sooner (an incident) can end.”

Hartford said the system was at once impressive and a good example of “turning ideas into action.”

“We rely heavily on Stonington as a close partner in everything we do to keep our communities safe and strong,” Hartford said as he applauded the SPD’s efforts.





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