Michigan Schools Deploy AI Gun Detection System

As the trend of school shootings continues, including more than 300 last year, the Chelsea School District (CSD) in Michigan, seeking another tool to keep its 2,400 students safe, adopted gun detection technology.

Omnilert Gun Detect is an AI visual system that integrates with existing camera systems to provide near-instant response at the sight of a gun.

With cameras focused on key areas, such as main entrances, parking lots and athletic fields, the system can visually detect a gun within a second and send an alert with images, a video clip, and the name of the camera and location of the threat to Omnilert Monitoring Centers for a human to verify.

“Ensuring the safety of the educational community is not only a goal for the district, but it is also paramount to providing a conducive learning environment for the students,” CSD superintendent Michael Kapolka said in a statement. The district also upgraded nearly 200 higher definition cameras, providing a better “field of vision.”

The local police department has teamed with the district on a plan and has a live camera feed from each school to ensure security.

The gun detection system can provide real-time situational analysis that can communicate where the potential shooter is and provide key information on the shooter’s clothing, how many guns they have and other details that can give first responders and students information on how to react.