News and Information

Schools get new screening systems
The system checks the identification of people trying to get inside elementary schools against a sex offender database.
St. Petersburg Times, MARY SPICUZZA, April 29, 2006

LAND O'LAKES - Every Pasco County elementary school now has a new visitor screening system.

The system, created by Raptor Technologies Inc., screens people trying to visit elementary schools by requiring them to show a form of identification, which is scanned and checked against a database of sex offenders.

"I think it's very important for students and parents to feel safe in the school environment," said Ruth Reilly, Pasco's assistant superintendent for elementary schools. "When they're comfortable and feeling safe, learning can happen."

Districtwide implementation began this week, but several Pasco elementary schools have been using Raptor for months.

Lake Myrtle Elementary in Land O'Lakes became the first school in the Tampa Bay area to use Raptor when it put the system in place last spring.

And it was a Raptor Technologies scanner that caught a sex offender visiting Seven Springs Elementary School in September. He had been convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a victim under age 13 in Illinois but had not registered as a sex offender when he moved to Florida.

The system uses a Web software application called V.Soft, which stands for Visitor Student or Faculty Tracking. It now searches sex offender databases in 47 states, Raptor's marketing director Carol Measom said.

Schools in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pinellas and various other counties in Florida also are using the system.

"We've had very explosive growth in Florida," Measom said.

The software costs about $1,500 per school and requires a computer at each site. Each school pays a $432 annual fee, Measom said.

With Raptor, an optical scanner checks a visitor's driver's license or identification. Once a visitor is approved, the equipment will print out a badge for the visitor to wear on campus.

If someone is not approved?

"They would not have access to the school at that point," Reilly said. "We would have to do further investigation through the sheriff's department."

Lt. Brian Moyer, the district safety officer, said Pasco's elementary schools are also being encouraged to use Raptor for people who might have had a trespass warning, or for child custody issues.

"It's going to take a while before all of the full capabilities will be in place," Moyer said. "We're very excited about the system. It's a great enhancement to safety and security on our campuses."

Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com.