08/26/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Calhoun County Schools Now Connected to 911 Dispatch, Adding Another Layer of Safety for Students
As students across Calhoun County head back to the classroom, a new layer of school safety is working behind the scenes.
Fifty-two schools in Calhoun County (all public schools and most charter schools) are now connected to Calhoun County Consolidated Dispatch, enabling 911 dispatchers to access live school security cameras during an emergency to provide first responders with critical, real-time information about what is happening inside a building.
The technology is designed for the moments when every second matters.
If an emergency is reported at a school, dispatchers can access the school's camera system to help identify where an incident is occurring and relay that information directly to police, fire, or EMS responding to the scene. That could mean helping officers locate a threat, directing firefighters to the right area of a building, or helping emergency medical responders reach someone experiencing a medical emergency more quickly.
“When our deputies or any law enforcement officer responds to a school emergency, they are entering a situation that can change by the second,” Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley said. “Having Dispatch able to see what is happening and provide responders with information before they even enter the building gives us another valuable tool to help keep students, staff and first responders safe.”
The connection is the culmination of a years-long effort through the Calhoun County Safe Schools Initiative. Supported by a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, the project included camera installations and upgrades at schools needing additional infrastructure, along with the technology to connect school camera systems to Dispatch. The original project specifically sought to ensure smaller and rural schools could benefit from enhanced safety technology alongside larger districts.
The goal from the beginning was not simply to put more cameras in schools, but to make the information they provide useful to the people coordinating an emergency response. The project was designed to give Dispatch access during incidents, including active threats, fires, and other emergencies, and to improve the information available to responding agencies.
“Our dispatchers are already the information hub during an emergency,” Calhoun County Consolidated Dispatch Executive Director Michael Armitage said. “This gives them another tool to understand what is happening in real time and get that information to the responders who need it. Ultimately, it is about helping police, fire and EMS get where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible.”
Importantly, the connection does not mean dispatchers are routinely monitoring students or activity inside schools. Agreements with participating school districts limit use of the video to emergency or critical incidents or when requested by an authorized responding public safety agency.
