3 days ago
Bill proposed to expand critical incident mapping to all Wisconsin technical colleges
Wisconsin lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would provide grants for technical colleges to provide mapping data to law enforcement in crisis scenarios.
Here's everything you need to know about Assembly Bill 298:
Critical incident mapping acts as a digital blueprint that allows police officers entering a building to know exactly where rooms, doors and windows are located. The maps also include real-time police trackers that reduce the likelihood of "blue-on-blue" conflicts during crises, where police run into one another thinking they're facing a threat.
Critical Response Group is the company that creates the digital maps.
Trish Kilpin, executive director of the Office of School Safety, said quick and accurate access to information is imperative in an emergency. She added that schools and emergency responders benefit from maps that use modern technology.
"Real time access to maps and specific, real time data improves navigation and communication in an emergency, when seconds count," Kilpin said in an email. "When we enable responders to intervene efficiently, we improve crisis related outcomes, and mitigate the impact of prolonged distress."
According to a May 22 memo sent out by Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, the proposal would build on 2021 Wisconsin Act 109, a unanimously supported effort to execute critical incident mapping in all K-12 schools in the state. Under the bill, the mapping tool would be expanded to all Wisconsin technical college campus facilities.
The grant program would require a joint application from technical college presidents and local law enforcement to ensure communication and enhance safety, according to the memo.
Katy Pettersen, director of strategic advancement for the Wisconsin Technical College System, said the system has not yet reviewed the full details of the bill.
"The Wisconsin Technical College System supports initiatives to enhance campus safety and security, while supporting the ability of emergency responders to respond swiftly and accurately during emergencies," Pettersen said in an email.
According to Tusler and James' memo, potential benefits of critical incident mapping at technical colleges include enhanced situational awareness for first responders, quicker response times, improved training and added value to broader data systems.
The bill would make $1.5 million available for statewide technical colleges for the next two years, said Nick Schultz, spokesperson for Tusler. He added that the money should be enough to cover all technical colleges that want to apply for a critical incident mapping grant.
In a June 3 public hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Tusler said Wisconsin universities were "just not ready to do that yet." He added that he would entertain an amendment if the universities become interested in the grant program, and that he hopes to implement critical incident mapping at all Wisconsin higher education institutions in the future.
Critical incident mapping is already being used in public and private Wisconsin K-12 schools. In 2022-23, the DOJ reported that 185 schools and districts were awarded grants to submit mapping data to law enforcement.
Act 109, which launched in July 2022, allocated $2 million in grant funding to support interactive mapping of K-12 buildings and facilities. Demand exceeded available funds, and the Wisconsin Legislature allocated an additional $2.5 million in June 2023.
The maps in the K-12 schools have been used during recent Wisconsin shootings to assist law enforcement in responding quickly, according to Tusler and James' memo. Schultz said the bill is a response to crises like the December mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison.
Tusler said timely law enforcement intervention at Abundant Life made a difference in the number of lives saved, compared to crises like the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, where 19 students and two teachers died. At the Abundant Life shooting, one student and one teacher died, in addition to the shooter.
"At Uvalde, it took 77 minutes before law enforcement was inside and addressing the shooter. At Abundant Life here in Madison, it took the Dane County Sheriff's Department just three minutes from the call to get in the building," Tusler said during the public hearing.
Tusler said a key part of the quick response at Abundant Life was how organized and prepared the police were thanks to critical incident mapping.
The proposal is supported by the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.
Ryan Windorff, president of the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police, called critical incident mapping a "common-sense step" to improve law enforcement response times.
"Historically, blueprint access varied by jurisdiction, making standardized mapping vital," Windorff said in an email. "Before Act 109, K-12 schools used physical blueprints, often inaccessible or outdated. Police access to blueprints varied by jurisdiction."
There is no known organized opposition to the bill.
The goal is to pass the bill as quickly as possible to show that there is broad support for critical incident mapping in technical colleges, Schultz said. The Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety was scheduled to hold an executive session June 11.
Schultz said he does not foresee members of either political party disagreeing with the bill, but that the team wants to hear from any representatives who do.
"This shouldn't be a controversial thing. This should be something everyone should support," Schultz said.
Contact Mia Thurow at mthurow@
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin bill would expand critical incident mapping to tech schools
