GEORGIA, — More than 10 million people in the United States are using Centegix, the security system that Apalachee High School had in place at the time of Wednesday's deadly shooting.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the school implemented a new panic alert system just one week before the fatal shooting, which means that teachers were wearing badges around their necks to easily alert law enforcement on that tragic day.
Teachers were taught that they should click the button a certain number of times to indicate a certain level of emergency. When the time came to use the alert system, several Apalachee teachers pressed the button to alert authorities to the severity of the situation, the Bureau said.
The Barrow County Sheriff's Office believes that the Centegix Device gave them a better response time.
Six minutes after a teacher used the device on Wednesday, police were on the scene and had the suspect in custody, according to the Barrow County Sheriff's Office.
"It's critical to understand that it takes both proactive and reactive measures to create security," security expert Joshua Byrd said.
“I like to teach a rapid formula for peace. It means that every day, we are reflecting. Talk about building a health and leisure table. So that when you come to school or work, you’re in a good space. We also talk about awareness, which is key, and it’s not only being aware of how you feel but being aware of what you’re going into -- what sort of threats and what sort of conflicts," Byrd said.
Centegix shared that a recent study found that 99% of all alerts from 2023 to 2024 were associated with everyday emergency behaviors.
The company's goal is to reduce the response time and prevent fatalities.