Preventing crisis through AI

AFTON - An artificial intelligence security network will be used in East Union Schools to stop potential shootings before they happen.

The first shooting of the year in the US occurred in Perry High School, just 60 miles away from Afton. The proximity of potentially dangerous events can feel closer than ever, with the need to protect staff and students becoming a priority.

The new system implemented at Afton was created by ZeroEyes, a company who describes it as “automated optical firearm detection.” It has access to security cameras in the building it is installed in, and uses AI to find what the AI perceives as potential firearms. They claim to be the first AI-powered security system.

The AI uses images received from the security cameras installed in the building to scan for illegally brandished firearms. There is no other form of recognition in the AI, such as facial recognition, just firearm detection.

When a firearm is detected, identifying images are sent to a security center, called a ZeroEyes Operations Center, which is analyzed by trained officers for false positives before law enforcement is dispatched. ZeroEyes claims law enforcement can be sent “as quickly as three to five seconds from detection.”

East Union Technology Director Lori Paup helped encourage increased security in the district, including the ZeroEyes system.

“The determination rate is amazing,” she said. “Whether it’s an actual, or fake, BB gun, or air gun, something of that nature, they can determine it. That’s why they have the AI look at it, then they have a human look at it.”

Even during a false positive, the ZeroEyes center sends information to school administration to inform them of what was detected.

The system also won’t detect firearms that are holstered or stored in a container, meaning those in the building with legitimate reasons for holstered firearms, such as a police officer or individual in ROTC (reserve officers’ training program), would not be under scrutiny from the program.

Systems such as ZeroEyes are implemented to protect staff and students from potential gun violence, something that schools will have to be prepared for.

Paup recognizes the system’s importance while also hoping to never use it. “We hope that we will never have to have someone call us and say, this is what we see,” she said.

In a press release, EU superintendent for Tim Kuehl made it clear why this system was being implemented. “In this day and age, no school is immune to gun-related violence, whether they’re rural or urban,” said Kuehl. “Considering the rising shooting rates across the country, we are taking no chances.”

Paup was excited about the increasing presence of technology at East Union, describing her own experience with new technology as a “continuous learning curve.”

“We want to try to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can to the best of our ability,” She said. “There is no perfect solution.

The Gun Violence Archive reported 1,121 shooting incidents on school property in 2023. Systems like ZeroEyes can be complicated or expensive to implement, but could save lives in the long-run.

The ZeroEyes system will be implemented alongside new security installations that were approved during April’s regular school board meeting, using funds received through Iowa School Safety Grants.