It was recently announced that Charles County Public Schools will be the first district in the state of Maryland to activate gun detection software. AI-powered active shooter solutions are capable of monitoring external cameras throughout campuses to detect firearms within fractions of a second, and immediately notify the facility’s security monitoring system and the proper authorities.
The Maryland announcement was made less than two weeks before a fatal shooting at a Nashville Christian school resulted in the death of six people, including three children. This latest act of violence and the grim reality of its prevalence on school grounds makes the implementation of gun detection in schools all the more relevant and necessary.
How Gun Detection Works
Gun detection technology utilizes advanced algorithms and sensors to detect the presence of firearms on school premises and provides the ability to prevent or quickly respond to a potential threat.
Metal detectors have been widely used in school settings throughout the years. Typically placed at entrances and other strategic locations throughout a facility, they use sensors to detect guns and other metal objects that may be brought into the school.
Another common form of gun detection involves acoustic sensors that are designed to detect the sound of gunfire. These sensors are placed around a school’s perimeter and can be used both indoors and outdoors. When detecting a gunshot, alarms alert security personnel so they can act, allowing for quicker response times and increasing the likelihood that potential threats are addressed before injury occurs.
Facial recognition, too, is increasingly being integrated into school security plans, cross-referencing video footage of persons entering school grounds with a database of known individuals, alerting authorities when unauthorized visitors, such as students who have been expelled for violence or other barred offenders, are identified.
But one of the most promising forms of gun detection in schools – like the software being introduced in Charles County – is driven by Artificial Intelligence. By interfacing with a school’s security cameras, this revolutionary platform can recognize the shape of firearms, and even track the movement of the individual carrying the weapon. Within seconds, the software dispatches a screen capture to a human analyst at a monitoring center, who then notifies local authorities of the potential threat.
What Are the Benefits of Gun Detection in Schools?
Put simply, gun detection technology provides an added layer of safeguards that may ease parents’ minds when sending their children off to school, ease children’s minds when pursuing their education, and give school leadership and faculty the confidence and conviction needed to continue enriching young lives.
By investing in these tech-driven solutions, schools would be able to quickly identify any potential threats while also providing valuable data that could be used to refine existing security protocols going forward.
Ultimately, the investment in gun detection is just one small way families, schools, and security professionals can work together toward establishing safer learning environments throughout the country.
In an uncertain world, it is more important than ever for schools to take proactive steps to ensure student, faculty, and guest safety.
Secom is endeavoring to help all school districts move beyond their core security safeguards to establish emergency preparedness solutions, integrated defense systems, and much more.
Reach out to our team today to learn more about how Secom can help create a safer school community for our students and teachers in Maryland.