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Nevada entrepreneurs seek to secure the innocent
Nevada Daily Mail
Nevada Middle School teacher Lance Sargent and Max Motors General Manager Justin Osburn are on a mission to secure the innocent. "Securing the Innocent" is the slogan for their new active-shooter security device -- The Guardian Angel.
The patent-protected device hit the market last week.
"We built it together," Sargent said. "It started out as just an electrical box in my garage, and transformed into a great, solid-steel product."
Sargent said the device, now on its sixth prototype, has been hand-crafted to perfection.
"I had a concept, and Justin and I together have evolved it into what it is now -- which is basically a winch system, with a (stainless) steel cable that will hold up to 3,700 pounds."
"It deploys in around 10 to 12 seconds," Sargent said. "It can be released in two seconds. So if there was a fire, we could release it, take the hook off and be out the door." Osburn added that deploying the device is "about a three-step process."
"Basically, you unlock the box, push the release and put the hook (on the door handle), and then ratchet it," Sargent said. "That's it."
Sargent said he has previous expertise in dealing with steel and precision measurements, spending a decade as a certified millwright.
"I know how winch systems and things like that work," he said. "In construction, I've helped build around 200 houses -- so I have a pretty good background in that kind of stuff."
Sargent added that the product is not only for schools, but universally works for almost any building, public or private.
"Or manufacturing plants like 3M," Osburn said. "We haven't even scratched the surface with any of that."
Osburn said the pair has collaborated with several machine shops to ensure the device is a top of the line product.
"We have had meetings with those guys," Osburn said. "And between their expertise and Lance's expertise, we've perfected the product."
The product has been tested at several locations, including at Butler Elementary School in Bates County, where a video was produced, demonstrating The Guardian Angel's value. The video depicts a shooter loading ammunition into multiple automatic weapons and then storming a school where he intends to inflict as much damage as possible. The attack was eventually thwarted, as The Guardian Angel had been secured to the doors of the classrooms the shooter had tried to gain entry into. Along with approximately 50 volunteers, several Nevada High School students played roles in the video. NHS teacher Eric Cameron also plays a role.
In addition, the Bates County Sheriff's Office is on board with the device, as they lent their services to take part in the video-shoot.
"We've had a lot of responses from sheriff's departments in different (Missouri) counties asking for brochures about the product," Osburn said. "We have a sheriff right now in one (Missouri) county that wants to put together a campaign to get it in every school in their county."
Harrisonville superintendent and former Nevada R-5 administrator Frank Dahman has endorsed The Guardian Angel.
"For about the cost of a classroom textbook, you can provide an opportunity for your students to be secure in their classroom from any intruder or active-shooter," Dahman said. "The Guardian Angel is a low-cost, low-profile device that can be deployed quickly."
Dahman's comments can be viewed on YouTube.com. Dahman said over the course of his 28-year career in education, he has seen security products come and go, but that none fit the bill like The Guardian Angel does.
"In The Guardian Angel, I believe I have found what I'm looking for," Dahman said.
Osburn said based on the early interest the The Guardian Angel has received, he has high-hopes for the product.
"We've been on the market for two or three days now," Osburn said last week, "and we're literally having conversations with 20 or 30 (Missouri) schools."
"It's significantly cheaper than competing products that aren't as good," Osburn said.
The website for Sargent and Osburn's invention is www.angelonwatch.com. The pair also has a Facebook page for the product, www.facebook.com/angelonwatch. Currently, it takes 30 days from the time an order is received, until installation.
"We can never guarantee that somebody can't get in a room," Sargent said, "but we're sure as heck going to slow them down."