So, what happened to "Dial 911"?

The single most defining characteristic of a "Panic Button" is that it is guaranteed to induce panic.
The second defining characteristic, in a "school environment"?    It will be abused until the point where it loses its effectiveness.

This is what New Jersey has proposed to defend against school shootings.

Good luck with that, NJ; this is just one more way that Jersey has decided to balance over-reaction with over-reaction.


NJ schools may install ‘panic buttons’ in case of school shootings | New York Post:

A proposed New Jersey bill mandating panic buttons and red emergency lights in schools is named for a former Bergen County teen killed in last month’s Florida school shooting.
 Dubbed “Alyssa’s Law,” the legislation would require all schools to have a dedicated panic button for use during school shootings and other dire emergencies. The device would not be audible at the school but would immediately alert authorities. In addition, a red emergency placed in a visible spot on the school’s exterior would activate in times of crisis.

Prediction:   Students will manage access to the Panic Button and use it to provide a "No-School Day" at their leisure.   Eventually, Law Enforcement will assume "just another false alarm" and response time will consist of Tootie and Muldoon dispatched to see who screwed with the siren this time.

If/when a real emergency occurs,  LEO response time will not be the highest priority.

When I was a Teen, I knew a lot of kids who loved confounding "The Establishment".

I wasn't one of them of course.




x