Michigan K–12 District Chooses Gun Detection Solution

  • By Matt Jones
  • March 15, 2023

The Crawford AuSable School District in Grayling, Mich., recently selected the A.I.-based gun detection solution from ZeroEyes to protect its community of four schools and more than 1,600 students, according to a news release. The release reports that ZeroEyes solution is the only one of its kind to hold the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation and that it will work with the school’s existing security cameras to detect visible firearms and alert first responders and local law enforcement within 3–5 seconds.

“With children’s lives at stake, there is no question that we must take every possible proactive step we can to keep our students, teachers, and staff safe from active shooter threats,” said Crawford AuSable School District Superintendent Tim Sanchez. “This is a close-knit community and my own children attend these schools, so this issue is near and dear to my heart. I’ve seen many statistics about guns being brandished for six or seven minutes before the first shot is fired. In situations like this, ZeroEyes could alert and provide first responders with critical actionable intelligence for situational awareness to help them secure the area and apprehend the suspect before anybody is injured.”

The district will perform onsite testing on Wednesday, March 15, in a controlled environment to confirm that the ZeroEyes solution is successfully integrated and performs as desired in the event of an emergency. The news release reports that A.I. is trained to detect only guns—it does not analyze or store any facial recognition or other biometric data.

“It’s safe to say that mass shootings are becoming an epidemic, and unfortunately, the circumstances call for private businesses and educators to take initiative and do something about it,” said ZeroEyes CEO Mike Lahiff. “Crawford AuSable School District has taken proactive measures to mitigate a potential mass shooting, and other school districts should look to them as a shining example. We are proud to work with such a forward-thinking district.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

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