Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD) in Texas recently updated its security with weapons detection systems from Athena Security.

According to the company, LCISD Chief of Police Henry Garcia chose to deploy 24 of Athena’s systems across the district to scan for concealed weapons at school entrances.

Weapons detection

Athena’s Weapons Detection System integrates lidar, camera, patented AI and optional thermal cameras to detect weapons.

Additionally, unlike most metal detectors, Athena says that its system includes AI-powered Evasion Detection which can detect people going around the system and not walking through the detector.

Even if the officer is looking away for a second, the Evasion Detection feature will take notice, triggering both an audio and visual alert.

“Evasion Detection is just one control that helps security officers protect themselves,” said Chris Ciabarra, CTO of Athena.

“We also have other best practices from Homeland Security built into the product to help officers keep weapons out of the facilities.”

School safety

Athena Security highlights that the solution’s low-profile system is non-intimidating for students and allows for a steady flow of people into school, while effectively screening for weapons and ensuring that security cannot be bypassed.

“It’s a force multiplier,” said Chief Garcia.

“It puts us in a position to see and detect the things that we’re not able to see with the naked eye.”