News and Information

Device to part student, offender
An optical scanner will be placed in county schools and linked
to a national database to help identify any visitor with a history of sex crimes
By LOGAN NEILL, St. Petersburg Times Correspondent, July 29, 2005

This fall, visitors entering any public school in the county will have to do more than just sign in.

The Hernando County School Board voted Tuesday to purchase a computer software package that will enable schools to instantly screen visitors, volunteers and outside workers to determine whether they pose a threat to the well-being of the school's pupils.

The board allocated $38,800 to place 23 Web-based V.Soft data readers in schools and in buildings frequented by students. The system that was developed a few years ago by Raptor Technologies enables users to track individuals with a history of sex crimes through a nationwide database.

District security and safety director Barry Crowley, who was part of a three-person committee asked to evaluate several database security systems, said the V.Soft system offered more options for the money and was easier to use than its competitors.

"It's much more comprehensive in that the database is shared in nearly every state in the country," said Crowley. "Based on what we saw, we felt this was the closest system for our particular needs."

Once the system is in place, all school visitors will be required to swipe their drivers' license or valid photo IDs through an optical scanner, which can read the name, date of birth, address and picture and match it through the Internet with those of sex offenders from 42 states.

If a match is found, the system automatically notifies school authorities, as well as the school resource officer, by cell phone.

"It's not foolproof, but it's close," said Crowley.

The school district began looking in earnest for a way to provide background checks on visitors and volunteers in the wake of the Jessica Lunsford kidnapping and murder in March. The suspect, John Couey, was a registered sexual offender who worked as a laborer for a time at the Citrus County elementary school she attended.

Crowley said the system will not only help identify such offenders, but can be programmed to include the names of individuals with restraining orders or estranged parents who are prohibited by the court from having contact with their children.

Crowley said that he observed the V.Soft technology in operation in several Florida schools and was impressed with its simplicity and quickness. He expects the system to be up and running in every school in the district by the end of August.

"It's a huge step toward making our children safer in schools," offered Crowley. "One day we're going to wonder how we got along without it."