NILES — Monday, Niles Community Schools announced it had officially installed a district-wide advanced security system as part of a $442,773 grant from the Michigan State Police Competitive School Safety Grant.

The new monitoring system allows local agencies to share resources and reduce delays in crisis response time, said Niles staff. The district plans to monitor its buildings 24/7 with dedicated personnel. Local law enforcement would only have access as needed.

Cameras have been placed in corridors, exits, Niles Viking Stadium and building exteriors. They have high quality coverage and precise recording times, staff said.

“This new security system will improve safety measures throughout our district,” said Dan Applegate, superintendent. “We are grateful to the Michigan State Police for helping us secure the technology needed to best monitor the safety of our students. While we are confident that this system will improve safety measures in our schools, it’s important to remember that the safety of our staff and students is a community-wide effort.”

Niles was one of 221 schools and school districts to receive $25 million in funding from the Michigan State Police grant program in 2019.

As part of the grant, Niles Community Schools paid a 25 percent match from its capital improvement funds. Those funds were created to address needs, including school safety.

The grant was received as part of the district’s continued commitment to safety and adds to the security improvements introduced as part of the school’s 2015 bond initiative.

Other measures include working with the Niles Police Department to have dogs walk through hallways to detect drugs, a new air system that can block outside contaminants from entering buildings and social media safety campaigns.

“This is going to give us extremely good coverage throughout the district, so we are excited about that,” said Tracey Hertsel, who coordinates the district’s safety measures, in a 2019 interview with Leader Publications. “It’s well-needed in this day and age.”