The Appoquinimink School District adopts AI security technology for its high school sporting events.
There are two new security measures coming to all of the district’s high school football stadiums and gyms - a response to an increase in gun-related instances at sporting events, including two that took place in the past year at Appo games.
The first is Evolv, a walk-through AI screening tool that detects weapons.
Appoquinimink School District director of security safety and operations Tom Poehlmann says unlike a metal detector, it doesn’t require anything to be removed and only requires someone to stop if a weapon is detected.
“And otherwise the flow of traffic keeps moving. You don't stop. It's only when that device detects something on somebody walking into the stadium that they would be diverted to a district constable that would address the situation,” he said.
The Evolv system is mobile and can be moved between the stadium and gym at each school.
ZeroEyes is the second AI screening tool - focusing on the areas outside of the stadiums and gyms.
ZeroEyes is embedded in the camera systems, and will instantly send images to the 24/7 ZeroEyes Operation Center if a threat is detected. Experts at the center, who include specially trained U.S. military and law enforcement veterans, will then verify the threat and dispatch detailed alerts to staff and first responders on site.
The on-site images allow them to include details, like visual description, gun type and last known location, that will help facilitate an efficient emergency response.
Poehlmann says the two systems are meant to work together to help reduce the risk of gun violence.
“So we believe Evolv is going to take care of scanning people entering the stadium, and people out in the parking lot surrounding the stadium is where ZeroEyes technology will help identify a brandished gun,” he explained.
These additions were approved by the district’s Safety and Security Task Force after reviewing options to reduce anxiety and protect the community following the past year’s two gun-related incidents.
Both of the incidents involved a gun in proximity to a district sporting event. The first, which took place last Fall, saw two people getting injured by gunshots at the same time that the community was exiting the Appoquinimink High School football game nearby.
The second incident took place in February during an Appo basketball game. A gun was stepped on after falling on the ground during a fight, causing it to fire.
The new measures in place aim to keep guns away from the schools to avoid any potential for violence.
“From a parent's perspective, I would want to be able to send my kids to a Friday night football game and feel like the district is taking all measures to keep them safe,” said Poehlmann.
Funding for these new initiatives came from the district’s security budget.
Annual costs for both ZeroEyes and Evolv are roughly $55,000 for each school. Because they are software based, they can be easily updated as technology improves, cutting future costs of installs.
In addition, because the tools work with the district constable and law enforcement, there was no additional staffing involved.
Moving forward, Poehlmann says he is interested in expanding their use district-wide, and plans to seek more funding to do that via the district’s referendum.
