Case study
Global IFSEC
The PENNCREST School District in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, announced that it is expanding its use of an AI-based gun detection video analytics platform across its entire school. district.
The vendor’s solution, ZeroEyes, was initially implemented in three schools in February 2022, which will now be expanded to six. The decision is believed to follow “a positive early reception”.
The ZeroEyes solution, which holds the Security Act designation from the United States Department of Homeland Security, is said to provide what the company calls a “proactive, industry-verified AI gun detection software solution.” ‘man who integrates with existing cameras’. It is designed to mitigate mass shootings and gun violence by reducing response times and providing “actionable intelligence”.
The solution was founded by a group of former Navy SEAL team leaders who used “hundreds of thousands” of images and videos to train their AI. It has since been implemented in 19 states in K-12 public districts.
“The Uvalde shooting has raised the concerns of many parents in our district, particularly because we are a geographically sprawling school district in a rural part of Pennsylvania where improving law enforcement response time is essential,” said Dr. Timothy S. Glasspool, Superintendent, PENNCREST. School district.
“ZeroEyes have been proven to significantly improve response time, which is crucial for saving lives in active shooter situations. We consider their proactive technology to be an indispensable part of our multi-layered security solution, and further professionalism, expertise and efficiency are unparalleled.
Sitting on top of a school’s existing IP security cameras, ZeroEyes’ software identifies firearms being brandished and alerts school administrators, security personnel and local law enforcement within three to five seconds, depending on the provider. Specialists monitor every detection from the ZeroEyes internal operations center (ZOC). ZeroEyes says it does not record, store or share videos or images of students or other people, in order to maintain privacy.
PENNCREST is a mid-size public school district located in northwestern Pennsylvania. It encompasses 408 acres and consists of six schools: three K-6 elementary schools and three 7-12 high schools.
“School districts like PENNCREST are not just our customers; they are our partners in making the world a safer and better place to live,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroEyes. “PENNCREST is proof that a school can be ‘rural’ while being at the cutting edge of security technology. We commend Superintendent Glasspool and other district policymakers for their commitment to proactively protecting students and faculty from gun violence.
Listen to the IFSEC Global podcast!
Each month, the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast brings you conversations with personalities from the physical security industry. Covering everything from risk management principles and building a culture of safety, to key upcoming trends in technology and diversity and inclusiveness initiatives, the podcast takes the security professionals up to date with the latest industry hot topics.
Available online and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, tune in to easily stay up to date on issues affecting your role.
