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The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | June 2021 Mapping Technology Now Safeguards At Least Half of New Jersey ’ s Schools
They are known as “ Collaborative Response Graphics ” ( CRG ), the backbone of New Jersey ’ s efforts to create a common language to enable more efficient incident response and save lives .
The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police ( NJSACOP ) has been a leading advocate for the statewide implementation of this battle-proven mapping technique that provides first responders with a tool to enable communication and navigation when responding to schools and other critical buildings .
Following NJSACOP ’ s steady advocacy for the CRG mapping , the State Police and the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness launched the “ New Jersey State Mapping Initiative ” to encourage school districts to join . Now , there are more public schools in New Jersey than any other state with these standardized maps on file , NJSACOP officials say .
“ For the very first time , we have a common solution that allows state , county , and local first responders to communicate and respond using the same common operating picture ,” explained NJSACOP President Lou Bordi . “ The capability is now supported in 20 of the 21 counties in the most densely-populated state . It is truly significant ; New Jersey is unique across the nation .”
NJSACOP was the pioneer in advocating this mapping technique in 2017 , with more than 2,000 buildings in New Jersey mapped and on file . By the end of 2021 , it is anticipated that nearly 66 % of the state ’ s public schools will be participating .
The technology was born from lessons learned by the country ’ s Special Operations forces for mission planning and communicating when operating in unfamiliar locations .
CRGs provides building schematics with site-specific labels on top of high-resolution imagery . These maps identify key features , such as room numbers , hallways , external doors , stairwells , key utility locations , parking areas , security cameras , defibrillators and other critical information .
The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness , recognizing CRGs as a “ Protective Measures Best Practice ,” is partnering with the State Police to pursue a statewide mapping initiative , hoping all public schools in New Jersey implement what could be life-saving technology .
“ As our communities continue to cumulatively spend millions of dollars to mitigate threats and prepare for the eventuality of an active shooter / critical incident ,” Bordi said , “ New Jersey , under the leadership of the NJSACOP , has put forth a proven model for creating a universal operating picture that is not theoretical or experimental , but instead has been successfully used thousands of times in the most high-stress and challenging incidents in the world .”
Learn more at njsacop . org .