Putnam County Assembles School Safety Teams Across The County

In the wake of the devastating mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas, New York State has moved quickly in strengthening its gun laws.

Now, some Hudson Valley schools are taking steps to protect students in the classroom.

In a Facebook post by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, they announce the addition of a school safety team in an effort they're calling "Team Up for School Safety". They write:

In the aftermath of the awful massacre in Texas and a seemingly endless cycle of school shootings, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell has announced that the county will earmark $2 million for the Sheriff's Department to work with the Department of Social Services and Putnam's six school districts to protect schools in Putnam County.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office goes on to explain that funding for the School Safety Team will come from the $19.1 million that Putnam County had received from the American Rescue Plan Act.

To start, Putnam County Sherriff Kevin J. McConville and Michael J. Piazza Jr. of the Department of Social Services and Mental Health Director will work with superintendents throughout the county to see what gaps need to be filled and what safety measures are already covered.

In the next few weeks, the safety team will look into emergency technology that will "ensure that the technology in every school syncs with the county's Bureau of Emergency Services, the Sheriff's Department, and all local law enforcement agencies."

After the unfathomable events in Uvalde, Texas, the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, State Police, and local law enforcement agencies "established a greater and highly visible presence in schools throughout the county to act as a deterrent to any copycats" according to the post.

With that being said, the Sheriff's Department's social media monitoring team was able to act on information given to them by a student of a threat of violence against Putnam Valley schools. The Sheriff's Office was able to intervene before anything could happen.

For more information regarding the Team Up for School Safety effort, you can read more on the Putnam County Sheriff's Facebook page.