Parkland-inspired policing tool seeks to link victims, officers in real time
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A depiction of the CERA interface. Photo: Courtesy of CERA
Tony Montalto blames a botched police response for the 2018 Parkland school shooting that killed his daughter, Gina, and 16 others.
Why it matters: Six years later, his foundation is funding the rollout of a new policing tool that would connect victims to officers in real time and try to help police departments better handle mass shootings.
What's happening: Stand With Parkland, a school safety group led by victims' family members, announced this week that it would use federal grant funding to provide the new CERA software to the Biscayne Park Police Department.
- Five other departments across Miami-Dade and Broward counties have pledged their commitment to deploy the new software as part of a $500,000 grant.
- Hallandale Beach PD has been paying to use the software since 2023.
The big picture: Hesitance or delay by police in confronting shooters has been a flashpoint after some recent mass killings, including at Parkland and during the Uvalde school shooting in 2022.
- Former school resource officer Scot Peterson, who stayed outside during the gunfire at MSD, said he couldn't tell where the shots were coming from. He was acquitted of negligence and child neglect charges.
How it works: CERA, a smartphone app developed by former Hallandale Beach police major Edward McGovern, who responded to the Parkland shooting, would allow victims or witnesses of a mass-casualty event to video call with police to get medical help or report a suspect's location.
- Police commanders would also be able to use the app to direct officers around the scene, McGovern tells Axios.
- CERA is meant to complement but not replace calling 911, though it can be useful in situations where witnesses cannot use their voice, Montalto says.
What they're saying: Montalto says he hopes seeing real-time videos and pictures from an active-shooter scene would prevent incidents where officers fail to act.
- "It's going to be harder to do that if you see pictures of wounded kids," he says. "Hopefully that will spur the correct action."
What's next: The team is working on getting school systems and more police departments to adopt the technology to increase its reach.