Looking to provide a security system that is tailored to an entire county including the several entities within it, Levelland and Hockley County Emergency Coordinator Cole Kirkland is in the process of making that goal happen through the efforts of Alliance for Community Solutions (ACS).
The ACS is a group of hundreds of communities working together to help each other. In 2011, these communities created a non-profit organization to make it easier to work on shared goals. Members often form local groups or chapters, where they choose leaders to represent them.
The National Governing Board includes leaders from these chapters and other elected members from across the country. The ACS National organization, whose primary goal is to facilitate the actions and goals of the member communities, operated as a 100% voluntary organization for almost a decade of operation.
As the membership has expanded dramatically, the organization has retained a highly talented staff that is focused efficiently on the same primary goal.
With every community has its own starting point and goals when it comes to improving safety and preparedness. Services that ACS has often provided to meet the unique needs of each community include: Assessment of current strengths and risks; Gathering of information and new ideas; Simplifying processes and procedures; Researching new threats; Testing emerging technologies; Informing community
leaders;
Support information exchange; Helping identify and mitigate
risks;
Coop purchase products and services; Design, develop and fabricate
new technology; Plan and manage implementations; Design and integrate new solutions; Ensure version assurance for technology; Monitor installed security systems; and Provide a 24/7 emergency helpdesk.
During the May 5 Levelland City Council meeting, the group approved an ACS situation-based access control and panic button project that was presented by Kirkland.
The project was included in the ARPA funds obligation that was approved before the end of the year in 2024. The city of Levelland is currently a member of the ACS buying cooperative as ACS currently handles the city's credentialing system and mass notification system. The project will integrate both of those systems.The system will be tied into a base unit that will be located at the Communication Center as Kirkland noted it is the most resilient building the city currently owns.
The vision behind the system is to eventually have the opportunity to partner with other entities within Hockley County so that everyone is on the same system. In turn, that will allow response by public safety personnel to be streamlined.
Kirkland explained that over 1,000 pictures had been taken along multiple walkthroughs, measurements and discussions have occurred over the last few months to prepare for the project.
The project will put situationbased access control and panic button systems at Levelland City Hall, update the access control at the Levelland Police Department as well as update the access control at the Levelland Fire Station and Communication Center.
The ID card system (credentialing) the City currently has will now allow all peace officers regardless of agency into a building when it is an active threat mode. This includes DPS, Sundown Police officers, Hockley County Sheriff’s Office deputies, etc. to enter a building on lockdown in an active threat.
When the building is not in an active threat lockdown, peace officers not under the specific jurisdiction cannot swipe their ID and gain access.
Kirkland added while it is not a cheap system it is also not an ‘off the shelf solution.’
“When it comes to our people and the community members who come into the buildings, their safety and well-being is the highest priority and this system helps to ensure that the city is doing everything we can to achieve that,” said Kirkland.
As the project is scalable, the numbers provided to the Council are including a 10% contingency as well as worst case scenario for door structures in hardware.
As the ACS is a nonprofit organization they are only allowed to make a small percentage profit so any funds beyond that will either come back to the City or can be used to enhance other areas not covered by the project.
Originally, the quote for cabling and mobilization was higher than expected due to the contractor not being from the area, but Kirkland explained that they have already been in contact with the locally trusted cabling contractor and to drastically reduce the cost of that portion of the project.
While the system is currently built for the city, Kirkland is hopeful school districts within the area, South Plains College, Hockley County and even Covenant Hospital Levelland will join the system in the future.
“County wide we would have the same panic button system and all be integrated in the same system and backed up,” said Kirkland. “So, rather than having six school districts each with their own panic system and access control integration you streamline the process significantly with just one.”
Previously, other schools in other areas have introduced their own infrastructure. Each entity buys their own base unit which is very costly, and it becomes a very expensive system as it has to connect and control all emergency type equipment (smoke alarms, panic buttons, etc.).
“Each school, city and county have built their own systems and it's very costly,” said Kirkland. “That's not something that we would have been able to achieve here. It's just not in the budget. So, my idea was what if we buy one base unit initially and then we have others join for a reasonable subscription fee and then they can use the system and then go forward.”
With those funds all that money would go to ACS for holding in the form of something similar to a line item. With those funds, the City would be to upgrade system infrastructure or infrastructure replacement such as sensors without having to go back to council for out of budget expenditures.
With no county in the state of Texas with a similar system, Kirkland was recognized by the ACS for his fresh perspective to providing security. While the idea is forward thinking, he has highlighted that ACS has their work cut out for them trying to make Kirkland’s vision come to fruition.
“I'm challenging ACS a little bit because I'm potentially giving them scenarios and situations to manage that they've never been presented such as one entity owning the base unit and having all of these other entities use it,” explained Kirkland. “They had to build parameters so that each entity can manage their hardware, but not the entire framework. We've given them some things to work on as if they didn't have plenty, but we've got some really big things in the pipeline from ACS.”
While the project as whole is grand in nature, Kirkland explained that baby steps can be taken. If a school or entity does decide to be part of the system, they can add door sensors or additional equipment piece-bypiece each year.