New security system boosts goal to keep offenders off campuses of Cumberland Co. Schools

Cumberland County Schools (CCS) is taking a big step to improve security on its campuses.

The district is installing a new system to track visitors' whereabouts at its schools.

CCS parents like Christopher Figgs tell ABC11 the district's latest move to amp up security at schools is like music to their ears.

"With the current environment, you're always concerned about what's happening, you know, what could happen," Figgs said.

The district recently contracted a company called Raptor Technologies to implement a digital system to record people coming on and off campus including visitors, volunteers and contractors. Not only will it capture photos and sign-in details; it will conduct background searches, too.

"The other thing this allows us to do is whenever somebody logs into the system, it checks the sex offender database and it's basically a listing of all 50 states," said George Hall, the director of safety and security for Cumberland County Schools. "It also checks for a listing that we control of anybody that is banned from the schools."

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"It makes me feel good knowing that it's a system that's going to be able to track not just parents coming into the building, but any kind of contractor, any kind of visitor, even teachers," Figgs said. "If there is something that has happened in their past that we may not have known about, now that system will alert us to what's going on."

Figgs previously worked for CCS but now is a parent ambassador for his children's schools, Ed Baldwin Elementary and Armstrong Elementary.

Zenaida Cranford is also a parent ambassador with CCS. She expressed concern for how reliably the system will be able to track people but supports the move.

"We are walking in serious times, and serious times are fast approaching. Our kids are easily targeted. Our staff members are easily targeted."

CCS says it plans to install the new security system before the start of the upcoming school year.

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