Clovis Municipal Schools is using artificial intelligence technology software to recognize a gun and a potential school shooter.
The software was installed in all of its 18 municipal schools five months ago, according to KRQE. Clovis Municipal Schools partnered with ZeroEyes – an artificial intelligence technology software installed in cameras that can detect when someone is brandishing a gun.
“We have 18 school sites, and that software is installed at all 18 of our school sites: 13 elementary, three middle schools, a freshman campus, and the high school,” Loran Hill, Clovis Municipal School District senior director of operations, told KRQE. “So it’s at 100% of our school campuses.”
Hill said the multiple incidents of school shootings around the nation prompted the school district to take some precautions. “We all know that, unfortunately, school shootings and school incidents of this nature are not going away,” he said.
Clovis learned of the AI software from a neighboring school district. Clovis schools used more than $300,000 from its federal CARES Act money to buy the software. They have a four-year contract with the company, per KRQE.
Hill said the gun has to be brandished and not concealed to be caught on camera. “If that gun is brandished within sight of a camera, then that alert is going to go to a ZeroEyes command center,” Hill said.
The staff at the command center evaluates whether the situation is a lethal threat. If so, it will call 911 and notify the school in under five seconds – potentially giving school officials added precious seconds to react. “So what it does is it gives us back time to prepare, run, hide, fight, and follow our protocols,” Hill said. “It doesn’t stop it, unfortunately, but, hopefully, gives us some precious time to get ourselves prepared.”
There have not been any incidents involving guns on Clovis school campuses, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take precautions.
“So far the feedback has been positive,” Hill said. “People are interested in another proactive approach, which we believe this is: pre-gun shot detection to help add a layer of security to our schools.”
