Charles County Public Schools in Maryland will join a growing number of D.C. area public schools with advanced gun detection technology.
Weeks after a number of Virginia schools detailed security screeners that could be coming to schools in Prince William and Alexandria City Public Schools, the Maryland school system announced plans to incorporate artificial intelligence “visual gun detection technology” into their schools.
The new technology, which combines outdoor school camera software and an emergency alert system, is expected to provide a “robust response within seconds of a gun detection being verified.”
Director of School Safety and Security Jason Stoddard said the system will be critical to providing valuable time to respond to potential safety threats.
“Through system alerts, we will be able to notify police more quickly of a possible safety concern and place a school or campus in an emergency code faster,” Stoddard said. “The technology provides advance warning before a situation occurs”
Advanced AI first recognizes if a gun is present and alerts officials who review the live video at a monitoring center. If a weapon is detected, an alert is sent through phone, email and text to school safety personnel on the ground.
According to the school system, the program was funded through a grant from the Maryland Center for School Safety and totaled $207,000 in cost. The grant is expected to cover funding for two years, with costs shifting to the Charles County’s Office of School Safety and Security after two years.
District schools will see software installation outside buildings across the county, with plans for all schools to be equipped by the end of the 2022-23 school year. Some testing of software at select pilot schools has started before and after school days.
