Lobby Guard offers more security for schools

WLFL WB-22 TV News Story May 3, 2005
[Editor's Note: "Lobby Guard" spelled incorrectly]

Since 9/11 security has been top of mind at airports and government buildings.

But what about other public places-- like schools.

They're not only the potential targets of terrorist... But also child predators.

A hi-tech security system could change all that...

Raleigh -- A busy day at Centennial Middle School near the NC State campus.

Hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors pass through the doors .

Cindy Privette of Centennial Middle Schools says "if you'd come in here several months ago you would've seen this table covered in books..we had a book for every category of volunteers."

Now there's a sophisticated security system... One of a handful being tested in Wake County.

Why?

For the answer we take a look back at a WB22 investigation a few years ago.

An undercover reporter armed with a hidden camera walks into several Wake County Schools...undetected.

But times have changed.

Travis Lam with Lobby Guard recognized schools had a need...

"We get a better record than the paper log than most schools were using prior to this", says Lam.

Already up and running in 10 North Carolina School Systems... Lam hopes this ID based system called Lobby Guard will eventually be installed in all schools.

The system takes a picture...Monitors visitors and issues security badges...

"There's a tag with a bar code... After the completion of my meeting i take it off scan it and hand it to the officer so he can get rid of it"

Photo identification helps schools keep track of who's coming and who's going they'll be able to weed out child predators maybe even terrorist

What if it had been used in the Twin Towers?

There would've been a record of suspicious visitors observing the buildings on non-official business.

The latest version of the system is being tested at the department of education building in downtown Raleigh.

"It creates a database that we can go back to in case something does happen and we check and see where they've been in and out of the government complex... So it helps tremendously on many fronts"

There's talk of installing the system in other government buildings.

A wise investment according centennial school officials.

No badge... Means no access...

"We come down the hall and get you... We let you know that we have a policy that doesn't just allow people to walk around our campus".

The Lobby Guard system is capable of comparing visitor names with the state sex offender registry... And other criminal databases.

If a name is a match... It's brought to the school system's attention.

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