Chief Terence M. Delehanty
3 Metcalf Square
Winthrop, MA 02152
Monday, Aug. 27, 2018
Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Winthrop Police Enhance School Safety Efforts Through Training and Technology
WINTHROP — Police Chief Terence M. Delehanty is pleased to announce that the Winthrop Police Department is enhancing its work to keep town schools safe through new technology and training initiatives.
The Winthrop Police Department and Winthrop Public Schools have contracted with Social Sentinel, which will enable police and school officials to be alerted to potential threats to student and staff safety that arise on social media platforms.
Unlike more traditional means of monitoring social media, Social Sentinel will empower police to receive alerts to potential threats, instances of harassment and personal crises shared online, while respecting the privacy of the general public.
The new technology, through its limitations on monitoring, works to prevent unwarranted surveillance of the general public and instead emphasizes the content and context of messages to help users evaluate potential threats on a global scale. The program also features oversight that prevents abuse by evaluating the extent of which law enforcement or school staff members are using the software.
Additionally, the Winthrop Police Department will be conducting ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) active shoorter training in town schools, providing students, teachers and staff with the skills they need to respond immediately should an active shooting situation arise.
“These are essential, common sense steps that we’re taking as a community to ensure that our kids are safe both online and at school,” Chief Delehanty said.
Both the Social Sentinel and ALICE programs were made possible through state funding secured by House Speaker Robert DeLeo on behalf of the town of Winthrop.
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