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CNN reported at least 82 school shooting incidents in 2023 and 46 fatalities in 2022 itself. These figures show how severe and frequent gun violence cases have become in the US, especially in schools. This puts the administration in a critical situation to actively address these pressing security concerns.
AI-powered video surveillance, especially gun detection systems for schools has emerged as a viable solution to such security threats. However, it's necessary to understand the ins and outs of these systems to see how they can cater to the specific needs of an organization.
In this article, you will learn more about how this technology works, the best gun detection systems available, and how to choose the right one that can fit your needs.
Gun detection systems are security setups that automatically identify and send alerts to the designated authority if firearms or other weapons are detected in a specific area. The working mechanism largely depends on the technology, but the fundamental idea stays the same – analyzing every video frame to find brandished firearms like handguns and long rifles.
Each sound produces a different wave pattern, and detection systems are designed to spot these differences. Gunshots create a sharp and impulsive wave while heavy objects like metal pipes can produce loud noises that might be mistaken for gunshots. Additionally, some key gun detection technologies include:
Given the increasing number and severity of gun violence incidents, your security system needs to be efficient enough to timely alert the first responders. Modern surveillance solutions come with advanced capabilities that can drastically improve response times and ensure better safety.
Here are the best gun detection systems to consider:
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Coram, a comprehensive video surveillance platform built with decades of experience in machine learning, offers the dual benefit of surveillance and weapon detection within a single platform. It is designed to improve the safety of schools by working with existing IP cameras and surveillance infrastructure to send real-time alerts for immediate action. This removes the need to rely on costly third-party integrations or new installations to upgrade video surveillance.
The security system evaluates video frames and identifies brandished weapons, including handguns and long rifles. It uses artificial intelligence capabilities built with proprietary foundation models that don't require internet bandwidth, ensuring real-time weapon detection with enhanced privacy and reliability.
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Scylla is an AI-powered physical threat detection system that works in a variety of environments such as busy areas, different camera angles, and changing conditions. It can easily connect with existing monitoring and surveillance systems with one and two-way I/O protocols. When a threat is detected, the system immediately shows an alert on the dashboard along with the detection image and a short video.
The detection system has a false alarm rate of 0.1 per day camera and it works effectively within a 15 m range on standard full HD cameras, with the ability to cover longer distances with higher resolution cameras. This high level of accuracy helps reduce the panic false alerts usually cause.
Evolv technology is one of the leading weapons detection systems for schools in the US that uses visual gun detection to keep the campus safer from gunfire and other fatal incidents. It uses artificial intelligence to monitor video feeds from security cameras to detect firearms and send alerts with an image and video for immediate action.
It can spot weapons outside buildings before they reach the entrance, giving the security staff more time to act and stop suspicious individuals with guns from entering the premises. The system can detect guns from as far as 100 feet away with high-quality cameras.
Athena’s concealed weapons detection system is widely known to make security screening faster by spotting suspicious individuals carrying specific items such as backpacks, purses, bags, etc. It can scan a person walking at average speed and alert the security team if a person tries to dodge the screening process.
The AI-powered system actively monitors suspicious behavior by eliminating security blind spots to detect any attempts at bypassing the screening process. With real-time alerts and proactive corrections, the security system ensures that no one slips through unnoticed, which gives a human-centered approach to maintaining security.
Omnialert adopts military-inspired AI technology to provide precise target recognition for campus safety. Its training data is hand-curated with a data-centric AI methodology to detect the shooter within fractions of a second. Rich intelligence with situational awareness further enhances this security by detecting weapons based on photos, videos, snippets, camera names, and locations.
The system works on a multi-dimensional approach which first assesses the video frames to identify the shape of a body and detect nearby firearms to distinguish between different weapons and non-threatening objects for fewer false positives. It then analyzes multiple video frames to confirm and track the threat for accurate detection and clarity on whether the identified gun is a real danger or not.
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While choosing weapon detection for schools, it is necessary to consider factors that can influence your experience with the security system. Beyond basic functionality, here are some important considerations to check while choosing a security solution for school campuses:
Before considering other factors, figure out exactly why you need a gun detection system. What are the use cases you want the solution to address? For instance, you might want to monitor only high-risk areas such as hallways where fights are more likely to break out or locations where a person can easily carry weapons. If your school has an internal hotspot where conflicts can arise, placing a weapon detection system in these areas can mitigate internal threats before they escalate further.
It is necessary to have a security system that can accurately identify different weapons such as firearms, knives, and other dangerous objects. Schools operate in a dynamic environment where students and staff move around constantly especially during peak times like class changes, lunch breaks, or assembly. Your gun detection system should be able to handle these scenarios effectively by recognizing real threats while avoiding incorrect identification to reduce false alarms.
In cases of an active threat, your weapon detection system should provide real-time data on data points like the physical features, exact location, and the type of weapons attackers are carrying. Real-time alerts on these details can help the first responders make quick and informed decisions to optimize their response strategies and minimize potential harm.
Zones like narrow hallways, cafeterias, playgrounds, parking lots, and isolated stairways can often create blindspots that your current cameras might not cover. Detection in these areas can be more challenging due to poor lighting or obstructed views, which often becomes a reason why attackers choose these spots to hide. Your weapon detection system should be scalable and versatile enough to cover these diverse spaces without any jargon.
Gun detection systems can be a costly solution, especially for schools due to budget constraints. This is why it’s crucial to choose a solution that doesn’t need third-party integrations and or extra hardware installations as they add to the basic cost. This approach can reduce initial investment and lower ongoing maintenance costs, making it a financially sustainable option that can still effectively enhance security.
Upgrading your existing IP cameras with threat detection capabilities is a smart choice, as it enables comprehensive coverage of the entire premise without installing additional physical scanners. Given the increasing incidents of gun violence, adopting weapons detection systems for schools can help your security teams respond quickly and effectively. However, make sure to consider your specific needs and the system's ability to integrate with your existing infrastructure to make an informed choice.
Discover Coram AI's unmatched cloud camera security: seamlessly scalable, tailored for your business, delivering immediate and lasting value.
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