Gun Detection for Schools: The Rise of AI Powered Technologies

Gun detection in schools has evolved significantly over the past few decades, largely in response to high-profile incidents of school violence. 

In the 1980s and early 1990s, school security primarily focused on basic measures like locked doors, occasional locker checks, and increased adult supervision. Metal detectors began appearing in some urban schools during this period, but their use was not widespread.

The late 1990s and early 2000s saw a dramatic shift following events like the Columbine High School shooting. Schools began implementing more comprehensive security measures, including widespread adoption of metal detectors, security cameras, and school resource officers. 

In recent years, the focus has expanded to include advanced technologies such as AI-powered video analysis, gunshot detection systems, and social media monitoring. There's also been a growing emphasis on preventative approaches, including anonymous reporting systems, threat assessment teams, and mental health resources. 

This evolution reflects a broader shift from reactive to proactive security strategies, as well as an increasing integration of technology into school safety plans.

AI Gun Detection Using Cameras in Schools

Lately, AI technologies that can be layered on top of existing IP security cameras have become a viable and effective way to monitor school grounds for weapons that are more reliable than older, traditional methods.

AI-powered weapon detection in security cameras represents a significant advancement in school safety technology. These systems use sophisticated computer vision algorithms and machine learning models to analyze video feeds in real-time. For most of the tools in this category, AI is trained on vast datasets of images and videos containing various types of weapons, allowing it to recognize potential threats quickly and accurately. 

When a possible weapon is detected, the system can typically immediately alert security personnel or administrators, providing the location and a visual of the potential threat. When done well, this technology can work with existing camera infrastructure, making it a cost-effective upgrade for many schools. It offers continuous monitoring without requiring constant human attention, potentially reducing response times in critical situations.

You can see a direct comparison of different feature sets offered by providers in the space, and more details on each below.

VOLT AI: Gun Detection and So Much More

We are obviously somewhat biased, but we believe wholeheartedly that VOLT AI’s technology beats out competitors. With a highly sophisticated and proven methodology for weapon detection, it excels at providing gun detection needs on campus. VOLT AI is trained on large amounts of data consisting of images and videos to spot guns, knives, and other dangerous weapons. When VOLT AI detects a weapon, it alerts your team within seconds.

But, it doesn’t end there. VOLT AI offers so many more features that help round out a sophisticated, proactive and holistic approach to school security. Some additional features that have proven useful in school settings include:

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Fight detection

Crowd gathering or anomalous behavior detection

Medical emergency detection

Loitering or unwanted access detection

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Don’t take our word for it. Read these case studies from Prescott High School and the University of Illinois Chicago, where their administrative teams explain the full breadth of benefits they’ve gained.

BriefCam

BriefCam is more focused on video analytics than immediate AI detection. Their website explains that their video analytics technology transforms surveillance footage in educational settings into a searchable, quantifiable resource.

It allows campus security to swiftly locate specific objects or individuals of interest within vast amounts of video data. This rapid search capability enables quick incident investigation and risk mitigation. The system can also identify potential threats in real-time, alerting relevant personnel to enhance campus safety and response times.

Omnilert

Omnilert Gun Detect focuses solely on gun detection, and doesn't have a large feature set outside of that particular need. According to their website, their AI-powered Gun Detect Software identifies potential gun threats in real time, immediately alerting human operators for verification. 

ZeroEyes

ZeroEyes is another provider who focuses solely on gun detection, without offering a breadth of other capabilities or features. According to their website, ZeroEyes software analyzes billions of images from security camera video feeds to immediately alert authorities upon detection of a firearm. They serve a wide variety of industries outside of just the education sector, again primarily focused narrowly on just gun detection.

Ambient.ai

Ambient.ai offers a more comprehensive feature set than those companies that are focused solely on weapon detection, but not as full a feature set as others, like VOLT AI. They have support for weapon detection, perimeter breaches and falls or medical emergencies which does make it a more well rounded solution, but it is still missing some key features like fight detection.

Entry Screening AI Solutions for Schools

In addition to the improvements AI has brought to video surveillance systems, entry systems can also be a part of an AI gun detection system. Providers who build entry screening systems (think metal detectors at the entrance of a school) have also incorporated AI into their tools.

Providers like Evolv and Sound Thinking use AI to detect weapons as individuals pass through a defined entryway. While the addition of AI to the traditional metal detector route does make it easier to move a larger volume of individuals through a screening point more quickly, it comes with all the drawbacks of metal detectors.

Bringing Your School into the Future with AI Video Technology

Schools have been steadily moving in the direction of AI video surveillance systems, working to incorporate the systems with existing video camera technology which has often been in place for years. 

The biggest, and most often overlooked, part of the process of selecting the right tools for you are all about how they integrate with your existing systems.

VOLT AI offers a flexible and cost-effective safety solution designed for quick deployment and easy integration with existing systems. It provides both serverless and on-premises deployment options, catering to diverse organizational needs. 

The serverless deployment is particularly beneficial for multi-site organizations or those with limited IT resources, as it eliminates the need for physical servers, reduces costs, and allows for centralized management without the complexities of hardware maintenance at each location.

A key advantage of VOLT AI is its ability to work with any existing camera infrastructure, eliminating the need for hardware investment. This compatibility with various camera types and brands allows organizations to enhance their security capabilities rapidly and with minimal disruption. 

By reducing deployment costs and complexity, VOLT AI enables scalable security improvements without requiring a complete overhaul of existing setups, making it an attractive option for organizations looking to upgrade their security measures efficiently.

By comparison, many other solutions on the market require more substantial hardware investments, including proprietary cameras or dedicated servers, which can lead to higher costs and longer deployment times.

Want to Learn More?

Our team is ready to help you understand how VOLT AI can be a vital part of your campus security plan. Contact us to get a demo today.