Nebraska state senator says schools could be using critical mapping this year

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Critical Response Group was founded by military special operations veterans.

It provides aerial and gridded overlay mapping for school districts across the country to use during emergency situations.

“We basically took how we map and communicate overseas during counter-terrorism raids, and we took that technique and we started to adopt it and adapt it for schools,” chief operating officer Alex Carney said.

He said during the Uvalde and Sandy Hook shootings, the floorplans were either inaccessible or inaccurate, leading to what he called poor decisions by law enforcement.

On top of providing these maps to school districts, they also work with agencies to familiarize personnel with using them.

The Nebraska Legislature passed a bill this spring opening the doors for school districts to buy mapping services such as these. It also provides state grants to help districts pay for them.

“The school board has to then decide if this is what they want, and then put it up for bid,” said State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair. “Then they can make a decision on who they best see fit.”

Hansen, who proposed the original bill, told 6 News he doesn’t know the specific date on when funds will be ready for distribution, but some school districts could begin using these services as soon as this year.

Hansen added that with the funding the state did allocate for this, some school districts can get the ball rolling, and lawmakers can see what districts think about it. Then, they may bring an amendment next year to raise the funding.

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