`Littleton Initiative' Brings Xybernaut Wearable Computers to School Emergency Management
Tuesday May 13, 8:50 am ET
FAIRFAX, Va. and LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2003--Xybernaut Corporation (NASDAQ: XYBR - News):
Standards of School Safety (SOS) Announced as Littleton (Colorado)
Public School District Conducts Full-Scale School Emergency
Demonstration
Xybernaut Corporation (NASDAQ: XYBR - News) today announced its involvement in a joint effort to develop minimum Standards of School Safety (SOS).
Under a plan known as the SOS LITTLETON INITIATIVE, this effort is being spear headed by the Littleton (Colorado) Public School District, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Xybernaut Corporation, various law enforcement communities and other technology partners.
The LITTLETON INITIATIVE has been developing over the past 3 months to concentrate on identifying best-practices and technology solutions that assist first-responders during school emergencies.
"School-based emergencies present an array of significant issues, particularly in our day and age. All educational entities are well advised to adopt response procedures and technology designed for immediate, effective implementation," stated Guy Grace, manager of safety, security and emergency planning, for the Littleton Public School District. "An effective response in dealing with today's types of school emergencies starts with using the appropriate action learned from one's training and in many cases using necessary technology to facilitate that appropriate response," added Grace.
With support from The Honorable Tom Tancredo, the LITTLETON INITIATIVE is gaining considerable attention and support in Congress and at the local level. Xybernaut Corporation, who is a leader in mobile/wearable computing technologies, has been involved with the LITTLETON INITIATIVE since its inception and its Mobile Assistant® V (MA® V) wearable computers are currently being used as the primary mobile computing platform for Littleton school security professionals and emergency first responders.
LITTLETON INITIATIVE representatives will jointly host a full-scale school emergency management demonstration on Wednesday, May 21 at the Littleton Elementary School in Littleton, CO -- located approximately 10 miles south of downtown Denver.
Tactical first responder units from federal, state and local law enforcement will demonstrate procedures and technologies being implemented under the LITTLETON INITIATIVE program -- agenda follows:
Wednesday, May 21 3:00 - 5:00 pm Media Orientation/ Formal Intro
of SOS Littleton Initiative
Wednesday, May 21 6:00 - 7:00 pm Littleton Police Dept. -- SWAT
pre-brief and Tech Overview
Wednesday, May 21 7:00 - 10:00 pm School Emergency Demonstration
(Media Photo-opps)
Wednesday, May 21 10:00 - 11:00 pm SWAT de-brief and
lessons-learned discussion
The following organizations are currently participating in the Littleton Initiative:
Xybernaut Corporation, MicroOptical, Advanced Alarm Inc., Second Chance Body Armor, Web Eye Alert and others.
WHEN/WHERE:
May 21 activities will be held at the Littleton Town Hall and North Elementary School
Location: 1907 West Powers Ave, Littleton, CO, 80120
Location Info: greatschools.net
HOW TO COVER THE NEWS: Reporters/media representatives interested in attending the LITTLETON INITIATIVE School Emergency Demonstration and Media Activities should contact Michael Binko at mbinko@xybernaut.com or by phone at 703-654-3637. Qualified reporters will be able to register for FREE MEDIA CREDENTIALS prior-to and the day-of the event. Media representatives can schedule Xybernaut wearable computer demonstrations and face-to-face interviews with Littleton Initiative participants by also contacting Michael Binko at 703-654-3637 or mbinko@xybernaut.com.
STATISTICS RELATED TO SCHOOL EMERGENCIES: the following statistics highlight recent developments related to school security and emergencies:
Over the 5-year period from 1996 through 2000, teachers were victims of approximately 1,603,000 nonfatal crimes at school, including 1,004,000 thefts and 599,000 violent crimes (rape or sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault). On average, this translates into 74 crimes per 1,000 teachers per year.
Between 1992 and 2000, there was a 46 percent decrease in the violent crime victimization rate at school. Despite this decline, students ages 12 through 18 were victims of about 700,000 violent crimes and 1.2 million crimes of theft at school in the year 2000. Violence, theft, bullying, drugs, and firearms remain problems in many schools throughout the country.
Source:
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2002. More information can be found at the following Web site: US DOJ School Emergency Data
ABOUT XYBERNAUT:
Xybernaut Corporation is the leading provider of wearable/mobile computing hardware, software and services, bringing communications and full-function computing power in a hands-free design to people when and where they need it. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Xybernaut has offices and subsidiaries in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan). Visit the Xybernaut Web site at www.xybernaut.com. Product photos are also available directly from Xybernaut.
Xybernaut, the Xybernaut logo and Mobile Assistant® V (MA® V) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xybernaut Corporation in the USA and other countries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act"). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "plan," "confident that," "believe," "scheduled," "expect," or "intend to," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, the availability of components and successful production of the Company's products, general acceptance of the Company's products and technologies, competitive factors, timing, and other risks described in the Company's SEC reports and filings.
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Contact:
Xybernaut Corporation
Media Contact:
Michael Binko, 703/631-6925
mbinko@xybernaut.com
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Source: Xybernaut Corporation |
