The Wellesley Police Department (WPD) recently was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide eighty (80) portable two way radios to the Wellesley Public Schools (WPS). The portable radios have the ability to communicate directly with the Wellesley Police Department in the event of an emergency. The radios are also able to be utilized within each school on a daily basis by the faculty and staff to coordinate daily activities.
The Wellesley Police and Wellesley Schools first deployed radios in 2017 with the intention of equipping every public school in Wellesley with three radios that were capable of communicating with the police department in the event of a serious emergency. The radios were one part of the larger, district wide school security improvements that were funded by Town Meeting and have been implemented.
The professional grade radios replaced older radios that had been in service for many years and were not always reliable. The new radios were found to vastly improve internal communication as well as provide direct access to the Wellesley Police Department. When grant funding was identified, the cooperative decision was made between Police Chief Jack Pilecki and School Superintendent Dr. David Lussier to obtain additional radios due to the success of the initial deployment.
Wellesley was fortunate to secure the maximum grant amount of $20,000 from the Commonwealth. Costs were kept to a minimum as the radios were programmed for school use by Wellesley Police Officers, allowing all of the grant funding to be utilized for equipment purchases. The radios are being delivered to the schools and will in service shortly.
The Wellesley Police Department and the Wellesley Public Schools continue to work together on a daily basis to make the safest possible learning environment for students, teachers, and staff.