Take out the middleman.

That’s the philosophy behind a new program rolling out this fall in the Clark County School District to bolster school safety. By October, school officials hope to equip every Clark County principal with a radio that directly links them to the district’s police force.

A $200,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security is providing funding for the technology upgrade, said Michael Wilson, director of emergency management for the Clark County School District Police Department.

Traditional school radios connect principals with staff members, but the new ones will give administrators the ability to do both, he said. The system should cut down time previously lost if principals had to use their radios to contact another staff member near a phone to make an emergency call.

Any emergency call via the radio would go to school district police headquarters, where dispatchers could then patch it to other law enforcement agencies if necessary, he said.

“That’s the thing you’re always trying to do — is improve communication between agencies,” he said.

School leaders can purchase additional radios for other staff members if they wish.  

Superintendent Jesus Jara, who toured the district’s police headquarters Tuesday, praised the new program, saying it should provide principals a “sense of safety” given that immediate connection with police.

It’s not the only upgrade on the horizon, though. School Police Chief James Ketsaa said the department also plans to form a canine unit by next spring.

The district’s police department fielded more than 145,000 calls for service last school year.