Oak Park presents decade of discipline data and security upgrades including AI scanners and gun‑detection cameras
Summary
Director of Culture and Climate Derek Faulk and security contractor John Allen summarized 10 years of discipline trends showing declines, described training and staffing, and outlined new security technology including Evolve AI scanners, Milestone video management and the 0 Eyes gun‑detection system.
Derek Faulk, Oak Park's director of culture and climate, presented a district security overview on April 22 that paired decade-long discipline data with recent investments in staffing, training and technology.
Faulk said the district used incident data stored in its student information system to classify misconduct into four tiers (minor through critical) and reported overall declines across tiers over the past decade. In his summary he said the district recorded a 53.8% overall decrease in reported disciplinary incidents across the ten-year window and a drop in the most serious Tier 4 incidents compared with recent years; he also noted a small uptick in 2022–23 that the district is addressing through staffing and programs. "Our goal is transparency, accountability, and a clear road map for continued safety," Faulk said.
The district described current security staffing and coverage contracted through a vendor: 24 security officers are assigned across elementary, middle and high schools, with specific assigned positions (Oak Park Prep was shown with seven assigned positions, Oak Park High School with 11 assigned positions and NOVA with one). The presentation explained shift structures intended to reduce overtime and provide coverage for mornings, midday lunches and after-school activities.
Faulk and John Allen (presented as a contractor lead) outlined training and professional development for officers and staff, including active-shooter drills, de-escalation, report writing, emotional-intelligence and restorative practices, and described joint training with Oak Park Public Safety.
The district also described three technology purchases: "Evolve" touchless AI bag/body scanners that produce live alerts and imaging pinpointing an item on a person; Milestone video management software that centralizes camera monitoring and playback (the district reported more than 400 cameras across sites); and 0 Eyes, a camera-based real-time gun-detection system with human verification and 24/7 monitoring that notifies district leaders and local police. Faulk described early deployments: Evolve two-lane units at Oak Park High School main entrances and a single unit at NOVA; 0 Eyes linked into the camera network and local public safety dispatch.
Trustees raised operational questions during the Q&A: Trustee Tyler pressed the vendor and district staff about officer retention and recruitment and asked how the district will ensure stable leadership and coverage; other trustees asked about how Evolve logs and stores detections and how staff verify false positives. Faulk and vendor representatives said the systems are configurable, produce logs, and that the district will continue to tune detection settings and maintain bag checks and behavior follow-up when an alert occurs.
The board did not take formal action. District leaders said security work will continue, with training scheduled throughout the year and ongoing coordination with the contractor and Oak Park Public Safety.
