Yaphank, NY - August 29, 2013 - Today, school administrators joined Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker, County Executive Steve Bellone, and Suffolk County Police Department for a real-time demonstration of the School Active Violence Emergency (SAVE) Hotline.
In response to the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Legislator Anker authored legislation to examine the implementation of a school emergency notification system. As a result, the Suffolk County Police Department’s solution is the SAVE Hotline.
“As a representative of Suffolk County, I feel that I must do everything in my power to protect our children and school employees,” said Legislator Anker. “The SAVE Hotline provides schools with an additional cost-effective option to increase school safety. When dealing with a crisis situation, time is saved through a dedicated line for school emergencies.”
“The SAVE Hotline provides law enforcement with the information they need to effectively respond to an emergency,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. “I applaud Legislator Anker for her leadership to make sure we do everything possible to protect our children.”
The SAVE Hotline is a rapid, reliable, cost effective system that is simple to utilize. Using a dedicated phone line placed in one or several locations throughout a building, the system automatically bypasses normal communication channels and immediately dials the Suffolk County Police 911 center supervisor. The supervisor views an instant display of the exact incident location and can provide immediate verbal communication to the caller. Additionally, the caller will be kept on the line to provide real time details as events unfold.
“When police officers respond to incidents, the more information they have going in, the better,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Edward Webber. “This system will allow officers to get details on an emergency which will ultimately better protect our school children and first responders.”
Serving as a pilot school district for the program, Mount Sinai School District initiated an emergency call to demonstrate the SAVE Hotline.
The plan has the unanimous support of the Executive Board of the Suffolk County School Supervisor’s Association.
“The safety and well-being of its students and staff are first and foremost in the minds of Boards of Education throughout Long Island,” said Past President of Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association James March. “Schools cannot promote student achievement without providing a secure learning environment. The public education system of this county welcomes a partnership with law enforcement that helps to ensure that safe environment. The knowledge that the SAVE Hotline will accelerate the arrival of our first responders, can only add to the peace of mind necessary for our students and teachers.”