New Mexico Elementary School Deploys Gun Shot Detection System

New Mexico Elementary School Deploys Gun Shot Detection System

Schools around the country are turning to gunshot detection systems to aid in campus security.

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • October 08, 2018

Hermosa Elementary School in Artesia, New Mexico is taking a different approach to campus security and safety.

The elementary school installed a network of wireless microphones that pick up the specific concussive audio signature of gunfire. Placed high in classrooms and hallways, the golf-ball-sized devices can alert authorities to the sound and location of gunshots, reportedly within 20 seconds of the firing. The device can also identify the make and model of the gun, and automatically lock the doors and sound alarms throughout the campus.

Hermosa Elementary's gunshot detection-system was installed by EAGL Technology, a New Mexico security company established in 2015. Outfitting a single school with the system costs about $25,000, though the company charges even more for an installation in full-scale sporting arenas. EAGL installed the system at Hermosa for free as a test for the company.

Other schools have also taken this approach to school security, most notably Texas and Colorado schools that have deployed similar systems. The Kenosha Unified School District in Wisconsin has announced they plan to spend $384,000 in grand money on installing the gunshot detection system.

  

  

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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