News and Information

McNeal will scan visitor IDs
RICHARD DYMOND
Herald Staff Writer

July 6, 2005 – EAST MANATEE - McNeal Elementary School will have the capability in the fall to scan the driver's licenses of visitors and single out sexual predators.

In perhaps the first instance of a district school having the technology to scan licenses, McNeal paid $1,500 for the first-year access fee, a printer, a scanner, training and a case of labels, said Allan Measom, president and chief executive officer of Raptor Technologies Inc., a Texas company that has sold scanning equipment to 800 schools in Florida, Texas, Illinois, Arizona and California.

McNeal will also pay $432 annually after the first year for access to the database, which Raptor has compiled to list sexual predators, Measom said.

McNeal will be a test site for the rest of the district, and if the system works as advertised, it could turn into a district-wide initiative, said Ozell Hayes, the district's safety and security specialist.

"McNeal's Parent-Teacher Organization ponied up the money to buy the system, and we will get to see how well it works at McNeal first before we commit to putting it in all schools," Hayes said.

Putting the scanners at every local school could cost the district $72,000, plus $19,000 annually for access to the database, Hayes estimated.

"We don't want to spend money on a system that could be obsolete," Hayes said. "I like the Raptor system. I think it's a great tool. However, I have to look at other vendors and make sure the system works properly. If I don't, I'm not doing justice as far as spending tax dollars."

The Raptor system is tied into the Internet. The visitor's license is scanned for a match on one of the databases.

"If there is a hit, it brings a picture back to the monitor in one to 10 seconds," Measom said.

The screen is pointed away from the visitor. No matter what the scanner turns up, a visitor's badge is printed.

"There is a protocol set up where the school secretary is told to have the visitor have a seat while the principal is notified," Measom said.

An e-mail can instantly be sent to law enforcement.

The system has flagged sex offenders in Texas, Florida and other states where it has been used, Measom said. The system can also record all the visits so school officials can print a consolidated report.

If a visitor lacks a driver's license, another form of identification can be scanned, such as a state-issued ID.

"I don't think it is asking too much for parents or visitors to have a state-issued ID," Measom said.

Hayes is comfortable with the idea of Manatee schools requesting ID before allowing a visitor access to schools.

"The days of 'Oh, I know you' are over," Hayes said. "Employers should require their people to have ID."

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 708-7917 or rdymond@HeraldToday.com.