Having worked in law enforcement before becoming head of security for Chesterfield County Public Schools (CCPS), Tim Mallory isn’t content to sit back and wait for problems to arise before taking action.”Preventive measures are the best measures in the security business,” said Mallory, a former Norfolk police officer. “A lot of times, the general public may see things as, ‘Well, why are we doing this? Has there been a problem?’ No, but we’d rather prevent things from happening than to have to respond to a situation.”

That’s the main reason why CCPS is upgrading security at all county schools with a two-tiered plan designed to give administrators greater ability to control public-access to their buildings.

The school district’s new visitor-management system, which debuted successfully as a pilot program at Hopkins Elementary School in May, is expected to be installed and operational in all county schools by the end of the 2009-10 school year.

In conjunction with that project and the installation of security cameras at main entrances, Chesterfield elementary schools also will receive new video intercom systems.

“It’s kind of like going to the airport. You don’t just jump on a plane, you go through checks and processes,” Mallory added. “It’s another layer of security that we can put in our schools.”

Paid for by federal grant funding obtained by the Chesterfield County Police Department, the Web-based visitor-management system will require all first-time visitors seeking access beyond a school’s main office to have either their driver’s license or identification card scanned into a computer. That information will then be automatically cross-referenced against the National Sex Offender Registry.

If approved, visitors must print out a badge containing their name, picture, the date and time and where they’re going within the particular school building. On subsequent visits, anyone whose ID has already been scanned into the system will only need to sign in at a second computer kiosk located in the main office, then print off a visitors’ badge.

“This is going to be used for people who are going beyond the main office, to visit a classroom, to go have lunch, to participate in a class activity,” Mallory said. “If you’re coming to school just to drop off some paperwork or lunch money, just coming into the office, you drop it off and leave; there’s no need to sign in.”

Once the video intercoms have been installed and are operational, school personnel will be able to see - and communicate with - all visitors trying to gain access through the main entrance. Nobody will be able to enter the building until the front door is unlocked electronically from the inside.

Mallory believes this security upgrade will be especially significant at the county’s older elementary schools, many of which weren’t designed to allow employees in the main office an unobstructed view of the main entrance.

“Schools are semi-public places. We still have to invite you in, but now we know you’re coming in versus somebody who can just come in and end up in another part of the building,” he said. “You should hit the office within a minute [after being buzzed in]; if not, we know you’re walking around the building.”

Because the federal money wasn’t intended to cover additional employees to monitor and operate the new equipment, that responsibility will fall to office managers and secretaries at each of the county’s 64 schools. School employees expected to use the system will be provided training by field representatives of the vendor, a company based in Texas. CCPS also will write and distribute both a procedural guide and visitor-management policy for each school.

If the initial experiences of Hopkins’ office staff are any indication, the transition period for other county schools shouldn’t be too overwhelming.

“Our staff adapted to the new procedures very well,” Hopkins Principal Donna Venable said. “Anything that helps keep our buildings safe is something we’ll rally around.”

As part of the campaign to inform the Hopkins community about the new system’s implementation last spring, Venable sent letters to parents, included the information in the school’s newsletter and recorded messages that were distributed via the school’s automated phone system.

Venable, who could recall only one incident where a visitor was “offended” when asked to produce identification, said the school’s proactive communication was critical to gaining the public’s trust and acceptance.

Mallory noted that similar public-information efforts will be undertaken once CCPS determines which schools have the necessary infrastructure to be part of the visitor-management system’s initial deployment.

“We want people in our schools. We want parents in our schools. We want volunteers, we want visitors, but we need to be able to manage that. I think it’s important to know the number of people coming in, and who’s coming in, especially around our children,” he added. “It will take a little getting used to from some folks, but I think most people in the general public will be pleased that we’re taking these measures.”