Surprise Police can now use Dysart School cameras in cases of emergency

SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — The Dysart Unified School District in the northwest Phoenix area has a new initiative to keep kids safer at school. On Wednesday, the district and Surprise police announced that officers can access security cameras already installed at the 26 schools during an emergency.

“Anytime you have an opportunity to add a layer in safety, it’s a win for us,” Dysart Schools director of safety operations Jason Yeager said. “It allows us to look at some of those other areas that aren’t always physically covered with an individual.”

The district has used cameras as a way to monitor who is coming and going from campuses. Moving forward, police just need to log in and they have access to the network of cameras. “If there was an active threat on the campus, minutes matter. And we are shaving off minutes in our officers' response,” Surprise Police Sgt. Rick Hernandez said. “We can help direct and coordinate responses so it’s more effective so we can bring safety back to campus as soon as possible.”

Sgt. Hernandez said they have analysts who can go through the cameras and determine where a dangerous person might be and help coordinate with officers arriving on the scene. They have a leg-up, as while they’re driving to a school, someone already has eyes on the ground. The analyst can also find safe places for students to move into during an emergency.

Surprise PD says there are 15 school resource officers in the schools they cover. While they have the person there, a major incident would require a larger response. “If there is any threat anywhere in Dysart’s boundaries, the Surprise Police Department and our partner agencies are able to help,” Sgt. Hernandez said.

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