Texas School District Partners With Genetec to Ramp up School Security
Needing a more streamlined approach to security, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District sought a solution to secure its schools and facilities.
The CFBISD comprises 24 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools and three specialty program centers.
MONTRÉAL – Genetec has announced that the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) in Texas has implemented a unified school security solution with Genetec Security Center for video surveillance and access control and Bosch Security Systems for intrusion detection.
CFBISD provides schooling for 25,000 pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Dallas suburbs. The district comprises 24 elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools and three specialty program centers. The overhaul was the result of a three-year bond project to refurbish older buildings and update all security systems with the goal of increasing video coverage and door monitoring while implementing a standardized modern intrusion system.
A few years ago, the CFBISD team decided it was time to re-assess and enhance safety measures. The school district had video surveillance, access control, intrusion, and other security systems in place. However, these technologies were managed separately, and integration between them wasn’t possible. Having multiple disparate security systems slowed investigations and limited visibility of what was happening across the district. Device failures and limited security coverage in certain schools also left gaps in security that needed to be addressed.
“There was very little standardization across our schools and facilities,” says Daniel Robertson, senior security systems engineer at CFBISD. “We needed a more streamlined approach to security. The upgrade wasn’t only about investing in a new unified security solution. It was a complete change of mindset in how we secured our district.”
Genetec’s solution for CFBISD included:
- Simple unified monitoring – Using Genetec Security Center for video surveillance and access control combined with Bosch Security Systems for intrusion detection, CFBISD was able to enhance their security. The Genetec and Bosch solutions allowed them to manage and maintain all systems from a single intuitive platform.
- Automated alarm notifications – When an alarm is triggered, key security staff are automatically notified. No matter if it’s after-hours or during a school day, lead staff always stay informed on what’s going on across the district.
- Easy intrusion pin management – The CFBISD team has set up cardholder groups and assigned certain groups intrusion pins for arming and disarming zones. Groups such as principals, facilities and maintenance staff have different pins.
Today, the Genetec-Bosch solution has been deployed across 42 CFBISD sites, including most schools, administrative buildings, sports stadiums, transportation depots, service centers and other facilities. At all locations, the team is using Security Center to manage nearly 2000 cameras, 50 door readers and 600 Bosch intrusion sensors with Bosch G series intrusion panels. They also have video intercom setup at main entrances and are using Security Center to manage more than 7,000 cardholders, streamlining activation/deactivation. CFBISD has even given authorized School Resources Officers and district Police Chief administrative accounts, to help facilitate responses and keep all parties on the same page in the event of an emergency.
“Security Center allows us to quickly investigate any situation across our facilities. All our doors and intrusion points are linked to video, so we can easily retrieve everything from one platform. And if there’s an alarm triggered, we can click on that event and immediately know what’s going on. All this can be done quickly, so we see what’s happening and address it right away,” says Robertson.
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