State honors Grapevine Police Officer Patrick O'Neal for school security plan 6 years in the making
GRAPEVINE (CBSNewsTexas.com) - The State of Texas is honoring Grapevine Police Officer Patrick O'Neal for his work keeping North Texas schools safe.
He's been working on a project since 2017 to number every door and hallway in Grapevine ISD, then create digital maps of the floor plans so that officers can access them quickly in the case of an emergency. He recognized the need for standardized data and consistent numbering.
The goal? Faster response times.
"It was just one of those moments, I realized I had to do something," said O'Neal. "You always think about the babies, they can't protect themselves, so how can we protect them faster?"
It took years to gather the information about entry and exit points for all the schools in the district. The maps include detailed information about all doors, their accessibility to police, the most efficient points of entry and directions to specific classrooms. They even indicate which doors require keys to open.
The department has access to the digital system on their phones, so that when they're on scene, there's no delay.
Last week, he was honored with 2023 State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award for Public Services at the State Capitol.
He said he was grateful for the award, but it's not about him.
"I am appreciative of the award but again, it's not about me, it's about the safety."