The Lauderdale County School District and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department are partnering to apply for a federal school safety grant.

The school district recently agreed to partner with the sheriff’s office to seek a grant to  purchase flock cameras, which can take photos of moving vehicles and identify a car’s make and model.

Chief Deputy Ward Calhoun said the sheriff’s department purchased six flock cameras in April. The cameras are located at various locations throughout the county.

Calhoun said a Department of Justice grant of $74,254 will fund the purchase of cameras to be set up on school campus roadways. The sheriff’s department match for the grant will be $18,563. The department and the school district will split the cost, which will be $9,281 each.

Calhoun said the sheriff’s department hopes to place 27 cameras throughout the district. Six cameras will be located at West Lauderdale high and middle schools. West Lauderdale Elementary will have two, Northeast Middle will have four, Northeast Elementary will have three, Northeast High will have two, Southeast High will have two, Southeast Middle will have four, and four will be located across the Clarkdale campuses.

Calhoun said the cameras will be used to alert school resource officers about any issues on campus and to monitor the schools after hours.

“This will be a great crime prevention tool, as well as helping us to stop crimes in and around the school in the future,” he said.

“We are extremely grateful to partner with the Lauderdale County Sheriff Office on this matching grant project,” said Superintendent John-Mark Cain. “Recently, we have taken multiple steps to increase the safety on our campuses and by installing Flock cameras on our roadways near our campuses, we will be providing an extra layer of safety and security. They will be great for the LCSD schools. With Flocks installed, a threat can be identified and school officials can be alerted when that car pulls on the lot. That’s a game changer for security on our campuses. I think it’s a really, really important addition to school security.”

Calhoun said if the grant is accepted, the department plans to have the cameras installed at each campus before classes resume in August.