On Nov. 30, 2022, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) announced that all the funds for the 2021 Wisconsin Act 109 Digital Mapping of School Buildings 2022 grant program had been awarded. Of the total $2 million in awards, Merrill Area Public Schools received a $40,000 award for reimbursement of expenses associated with developing critical incident mapping data.
Critical incident mapping provides a digital blueprint of a school that can be easily accessed by law enforcement on cell phones or other devices during a critical incident, the press release explained. It provides a clear layout of a school for law enforcement when a quick response is necessary.
“These funds will ensure that critical incident mapping data is available for a number of schools around the state,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “If a critical incident occurs at any of these schools, first responders will have this additional information available as they work to rapidly locate and respond to the scene of the incident.”
2017 Wisconsin Act 143 requires every school district and private school governing body in Wisconsin to submit blueprints of their school to the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over their school and OSS. 2021 Wisconsin Act 109 amends 2017 Wisconsin Act 143 and allows school boards and governing bodies of private schools to submit critical incident mapping data to law enforcement and OSS in lieu of blueprints.
2021 Wisconsin Act 109 also created the grant program to assist school boards and governing bodies of private schools in submitting critical incident mapping data. A total of $2,000,000 was awarded in grant funding. Applicants were able to apply for up to $5,000 per building (at a maximum of $200,000.00) per public school district, governing body of private schools, public schools, and tribal schools.