SAN ANTONIO - Exactly one week after the Uvalde school shooting, a new piece of technology is being unveiled in San Antonio that's aimed at keeping people safe in future active threat situations.
The Life Spot app could be a potential life saver according to the law enforcement officials who designed it.
"A number of agencies in Colorado are already using it," says San Antonio Police Department chief William McManus, "and we will be the first in Texas to participate."
McManus says the local rollout of the app had been planned for months, long before the Uvalde incident.
The goal is to protect children, according to Life Spot CEO Brett Titus, which has taken on even greater significance recently.
"Anywhere that has kids that could potentially be in danger, that's where we want to go," Titus says.
For now, the app is being marketed to school districts, churches and corporations, but not to individuals.
"Anywhere you could potentially have a mass casualty event," Titus says.
The technology revolves around geofencing, a GPS perimeter that surrounds the participating building or campus, and provides precise locations.
Response time is almost immediate, triggered by pushing a single button.
"Our app is sending notification to law enforcement , all the staff on that campus, fire, EMS, 911 dispatch and command staff in less than six seconds," he says.
It will also provide location and communication, identify where seriously injured people may be and even aid in reunification.
San Antonio police and SWAT officers took part in a simulation today at Cross Mountain Church.
"Our command staff can take messages from hundreds if not thousands of people at one time," Titus says.
The San Antonio rollout begins this week.
"It probably couldn't come at a better time in the wake of Uvalde," McManus says.
Cost to participants is minimal, ranging from $.30 to $2 a month.
"Let's get it in schools. Let's get it in churches. Let's get it where our kids are," Titus says.