State Releases New Safety App To Aid In Violence Prevention
Image Credit: tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Tennessee’s Office of Homeland Security has been tasked with helping to assist with a statewide response to continued violence such as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The release of a new app will give schools and communities an easy way to participate in combating that violence.
SafeTN is a secure platform that will allow students and parents to submit tips and access resources to help maximize safety in their communities. Creation of the app comes as part of a response to Governor Bill Lee’s executive order to increase accountability for safety in Tennessee schools.
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In a report by WKRN, Tennessee Homeland Security director Greg Mays said, “School safety is something Tennessee’s Office of Homeland Security has been concerned with now for years.”
Anyone in the community can file a confidential report directly to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security at any time. Reports will be reviewed by the Department, and they will forward those concerns as needed to local law enforcement, school administrators, and/or mental health professionals.
Reports can include suspicious activity, criminal behavior, or any other safety concern such as assault, sexual misconduct, violence, discussion of planned violence, harm to self or others, or threats of violence.
The mobile app can be downloaded on to any compatible device. It will first instruct users to call 911 if they are needing to report a life-threatening emergency.
According to Mays, the app has already seen success after one tip led to intervention with a student who was said to be planning to bring a gun to school.
“We immediately contacted the local police department and the school resource office,” said Mays. “The kid got into some counseling. Now, whether he was really going to bring a gun to school, who knows? But he didn’t.”
Mays also stressed that the app is about prevention and is not intended to incite fear.
“That doesn’t mean we’re fearful to go to school, it just means we’re working hard to make sure that nothing bad happens.”
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
