Salem City Schools will soon begin piloting a security system at Salem High School that uses artificial intelligence to detect weapons.
The system works by using AI to monitor the school's existing camera feeds for any sign of weapons. If a threat is detected, the system notifies a designated group of staff and administrators, as well as members of the Salem Police Department. Anyone who receives the alert can review the footage on their phone and assess the situation.
Salem City Schools contracted with Coram AI to provide the system. The license costs around $47,000 annually, and there was an additional first-year equipment charge of $40,000 that was offset by a state equipment grant, Salem City Schools Superintendent Curtis Hicks said.
Coram is an AI security platform that aims to help customers in a variety of industries and environments increase their safety and efficiency, according to a Jan. 16 news release from Battery Ventures. It was created by two former executives in Lyft's autonomous driving division, Ashesh Jain and Peter Ondruska.
"Cameras powered by Coram AI can automatically detect visible threats like firearms, smoke, or unauthorized intrusions," a May 12 blog post from Coram AI's website reads. "When detected, these systems trigger an alert without requiring human intervention. This real-time intelligence helps schools act faster and with greater confidence in high-pressure situations."
Hicks said that over the years, people have reached out and asked the school system to consider different security measures to keep students and teachers safe. They considered metal detectors, but Hicks said that he didn't love that idea.
"At Salem High School, for example, we've got 1,200 kids, and probably 1,000 of those kids enter that building in a 10-minute window in the morning," he said. "Most metal detector situations really are just ill-equipped to handle that level of volume."
In addition to the potential impact on day-to-day operations, Hicks said the idea of metal detectors didn't appeal to him because of the "feeling it evokes" to walk through one each morning before school.
"We're always looking to do whatever we can to keep our kids safe, but at the same time, we want our schools to continue to be a welcoming and inviting space that feels the way school should feel, as opposed to the feeling you can sometimes get with other types of security," he said.
The AI weapons detection system is less intrusive and is always monitoring, he said. When Salem City Schools initially tested it out, officials realized that their cameras were a little outdated, Hicks said. Coram AI provided them with 160 new cameras that will enhance clarity and reduce the number of false alarms.
Salem has an armed student resource officer in every school. The goal with a weapons detection program like this is to give those resource officers as much time as possible to address a possible threat and to alert the police as soon as possible, Hicks said.
"This is all based on the fact that when you look at most school tragedies, there was a period of time where the person was either approaching the building with a weapon or they were in the building getting ready to do whatever they were going to do," and had someone known, they could have neutralized the situation before it ever started, Hicks said.
Coram AI's system has other potential uses. For example, Hicks said, if the police put an APB out on a license plate, the system can notify proper personnel if that vehicle enters school property.
"Eventually, we hope that this is kind of a one-stop shop for weapons detection, visitor management, and reunification," he said.
The system should be in full swing at Salem High School before the beginning of next year, Hicks said. While it will only be at the high school at first, they plan to eventually expand it to the middle and elementary schools as well.
Salem City Schools chose Coram AI because it's a newer company, and they're developing some of the protocols together, Hicks said.
"We're going to actually be able to provide them with some feedback that will then hopefully make the system better, not only for Salem High School and Salem City Schools, but for any school divisions that use these products," he said.
Lily Kincaid | (540) 986-5851 | [email protected]
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