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School board sees ZeroEyes weapons-detection demo and weighs adding it to next budget
Summary
Vendors demonstrated a camera-based weapons-detection system that overlays AI on existing cameras to alert staff and 911; the board heard concerns about privacy, camera compatibility and false positives and agreed to consider the system in the upcoming budget process.
Franklin County School Board members watched a demonstration of ZeroEyes, a camera-based weapons-detection system, and discussed whether to include the technology in next year’s budget.
Brian Stahl, ZeroEyes director of sales for the Mid-Atlantic region, told the board the product overlays artificial-intelligence analytics on existing camera feeds and routes confirmed detections to an operations center staffed by former military and law-enforcement personnel. “We are FERPA compliant,” Stahl said, adding that “the only thing we ever see is a still-frame image when our artificial intelligence believes there’s a handgun, and then we have a human in the loop that verifies that.”
Stahl said the company aims to convert existing school cameras into a proactive tool that gives administrators and first responders earlier situational awareness. He described the system as a “situational awareness tool” that maps every camera and communicates with 911 dispatch so responders know where an initial detection occurred.
Board members asked whether Franklin County would need camera upgrades; Stahl said most of the district’s cameras are compatible and that ZeroEyes can work with a subset of cameras rather than requiring full-system replacement. On false positives, Stahl said the company’s operations workflow and human verification limit unnecessary lockdowns, asserting a very low dispatch rate in the company’s history.
Dr. Sears told the board the district would pursue funding options with the county and that the district hopes to include the technology for middle and high school campuses in upcoming budget discussions. No formal procurement vote was taken; the demonstration was received for information and the board directed staff to consider the system when preparing security budget requests.
