Ammon’s active shooter demonstration is a success

The city of Ammon is collaborating with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and Bonneville Joint School District 93 to demonstrate the benefits of fiber optics, while keeping schools safe in the event of a shooting.

The three showcased an active shooter alerting system at the Global City Teams Challenge Expo on Monday in Washington D.C. The system uses a private fiber optic network allows law enforcement to respond quickly in the event of a shooting.

“This technology can save lives by reducing the response time and by giving clear and concise information,” said BCSO captain Samuel Hulse. “You can get a description of what the shooter looks like, where they are, how many there are and in what direction they’re going.”

Deputies fired off live gun shots, with blank rounds, inside Sand Creek Middle School to activate the system. Real time alerts and images were then sent from the school to the county’s emergency communication center. After reviewing that video, images and location information can be sent to devices for law enforcement en route.

The system was entered into a contest with the National Institute of Justice, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.