A US high school is testing IoT technology to reduce the likelihood of mass shootings on campus.

Oxford High School in Michigan has turned to Pennsylvania-based ZeroEyes to test its AI-based gun detection video analytics platform that is backed by the US Department of Homeland Security through its Safety Act Designation.

Oxford High School was the site of a mass shooting in November 2021 that left four students dead and seven wounded.

ZeroEyes’ proprietary software will use existing security cameras to identify a potential gun as soon as it might become visible and send alerts to school administrators and safety personnel within three to five seconds, helping mitigate gun-related violence before it occurs.

The school is integrating ZeroEyes’ software with existing IP security cameras, an affordable means of empowering security decision-makers to improve their ability to protect the school. The platform is designed to detect the presence of a gun with extreme accuracy, then notify school administrators, school resource officers and local 911 dispatch. This capability ensures the school can proactively enact security protocols before a shot is fired and gives first responders real-time information to help save lives.

“We are committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for our student body and see ZeroEyes as playing an important role moving forward,” said Jill Lemond, assistant superintendent of safety and school operations for Oxford Community Schools. “When many other well-meaning companies came to us with a sales pitch, ZeroEyes approached us with a solution.”

Founded by a group of former Navy Seal team leaders, ZeroEyes’ technology has been implemented in over 14 states across public K-12 districts to protect students and staff. The company uses hundreds of thousands of proprietary images and videos to train its AI for gun detection. The software integrates with schools’ existing security cameras and video analytics to detect weapons in real time.

Former US military specialists monitor every detection round-the-clock from the in-house ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC) so they can deliver accurate and actionable intelligence about the brandishing of any gun detected near or in an occupied school. Furthermore, ZeroEyes’ AI does not record, store, or share video or images of students or others, ensuring privacy is maintained.

“Since 1970, there have been nearly 1650 school shootings, with no signs of slowing down,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO of ZeroEyes. “No child should ever have to experience the horror of such an incident. We are proud to partner with the Oxford district and the state of Michigan to protect its students. We encourage all Michigan residents to ask your legislator to fund AI weapon detection technology.”