ZeroEyes has announced that West Perry School District (WPSD) is deploying its technology to proactively protect students, faculty and staff from potential gun threats.
By integrating ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software with its existing security infrastructure, WPSD states that this strengthens its commitment to providing a safe and secure learning environment.
Gun violence remains a growing concern in the United States, particularly in school environments.
The ZeroEyes Gun Violence Research Center found that K-12 schools accounted for 21.6% of Pennsylvania non-domestic shootings analyzed.
Understanding these risks, WPSD has prioritized safety and security initiatives, including a district-wide camera system upgrade completed last summer.
The company notes that additional security measures include an armed school security officer on duty daily, campus entrance and exit monitoring, and emergency preparedness drills and protocols.
Jeff Kuhns, Superintendent of WPSD commented: “When a grant opportunity from the state became available, we decided that ZeroEyes was the missing security layer we needed.
“As a very rural district, our response times are longer than many suburban and urban areas. Anything that helps reduce the time between threat detection and emergency response is invaluable to us.”
Based in Elliottsburg, Pa., WPSD serves approximately 2,100 students across 325 square miles, making it the seventh-largest school district in Pennsylvania by land area.
The district comprises five buildings, including one high school, one middle school and three elementary schools.
In partnership with families and the community, WPSD states that it is committed to preparing students to be well-rounded members of society through personal success and strong leadership.
ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software layers onto WPSD’s existing digital security cameras.
If a gun is identified, images are instantly shared with the ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC), the industry’s only US-based, fully in-house operation center, which is staffed 24/7/365 by military and law enforcement veterans.
If these experts determine that the threat is valid, they dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence to first responders and WPSD staff as quickly as 3 to 5 seconds from detection.
The information that would get sent over to first responders includes:
Mike Lahiff, CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroEyes stated: “WPSD’s proactive approach to safety is the type of forward-thinking leadership necessary to protect students and educators.
“We are honored to support WPSD’s safety initiatives by helping to mitigate threats before they escalate,” he concluded.