Tango Tango Maximizes Communication Responses In School Emergencies

Here’s What You Should Know

1. Generally, SRO’s are the only direct link to 911 dispatch centers when mass response is initiated, and many schools lack adequate radio coverage due to an array of building standards, including storm shelters and safe rooms.

2. Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) is becoming a sought-after solution by school districts and law enforcement officers that protect school buildings.

3. Tango Tango’s PoC technology helps schools maximize their emergency communication tool belts by allowing staff and law enforcement to communicate directly without barriers.

Lake Central School Corporation, like a growing number of districts, was thrust into action when a reported “shooter” was on campus on September 8th, 2021. The report prompted a lockdown at Lake Central High School and other schools across the region. Nearby Merrillville Community Schools took notice, as their local authorities along with an army of first responders arrived at Lake Central High School. The response was initiated when a student reported what sounded like the racking of a gun in a restroom. Ultimately, the SRO’s were able to determine there was no threat and even located the students involved in the report. 

SRO’s are generally the only direct link to 911 dispatch centers when mass response is initiated. Many schools lack adequate radio coverage due to an array of building standards, including storm shelters and safe rooms. For responders arriving, some radios may not be able to penetrate the walls of a school building. Because of this, Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) is becoming a sought-after solution by school districts and law enforcement officers that protect school buildings. Not only does PoC allow staff and law enforcement to communicate directly without barriers, it’s also more affordable and is less cumbersome for users to physically carry. 

Just prior to the active shooter scare, nearby Merrillville Community Schools had been testing out Tango Tango, a PoC solution. Two days after the free trial expired, the shooting scare at Lake Central caused ripples to flow through neighboring communities. At the end of the Tango Tango trial, SRO’s at Merrillville hit the phones and simply said, “We need this.” 

When more post-op review was done on the Lake Central scare, the Lake County Safer Schools Commission came to the conclusion that Tango Tango had to be reinstated to ensure the safety of their schools and  community. 

Not long after Tango Tango was fully deployed, a bomb scare around spring break once again brought emergency communications into full focus. Not only did Merrillville SRO’s use Tango Tango to communicate with dispatch and other agencies, the technology functioned flawlessly. After hearing about the efficiency and ease of use from Merrillville SRO’s, nearby Hobart Schools joined the Tango Tango family. Since the Lake County Safer Schools conclusion, Tango Tango continues to help area schools maximize their emergency communication tool belts. A growing number of adjoining school districts and police departments now have the ability to communicate life-saving information between their walls, capitalizing on threats by using cross-functional, pre-built communication channels to make mass response more efficient.