Hernando County School District expands deployment of ZeroEyes gun detection

April 25, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, PA, April 25, 2022 – ZeroEyes, creators of the only A.I.-based gun detection video analytics platform that holds the US Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation, today announced that Hernando County School District of Brooksville, Fla. has significantly expanded its deployment of the company’s proactive software solution. 

Following a successful one-year implementation, the district is layering ZeroEyes’ A.I. technology on top of existing security cameras in more than 10 facilities, where it will identify brandished guns and dispatch alerts to safety personnel and local law enforcement as fast as 3 to 5 seconds from the moment of detection. In addition to proactive gun detection, the ZeroEyes solution will provide actionable intelligence to local law enforcement and security staff for situational awareness, which is critical for containing the threat as quickly as possible. 

“In active shooting drills conducted over the past year, ZeroEyes has demonstrated that it significantly reduces response times, which is critical for saving lives,” said Jill D. Renihan, Director of Safe Schools, Hernando County School Board. “As gun-related incidents continue across the nation, we feel strongly that the entire district can benefit from this proactive solution.” 

Located on the central-west coast of Florida, Hernando County School District is composed of ten elementary, three K-8, four middle and five high schools, as well as three charter schools, one alternative school and three technical/adult education centers. It serves more than 24,000 students and employs approximately 3,100 staff members.

ZeroEyes was founded by a group of former Navy SEALs and technologists that used hundreds of thousands of proprietary images and videos to train its A.I. to be the most comprehensive gun detection technology on the market. Former U.S. military and law enforcement specialists verify every detection 24/7/365 from the in-house ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC) to deliver accurate and actionable intelligence on gun-related incidents, including the gunman's appearance, clothing, weapon, and real-time location. They can also de-escalate police response by informing law enforcement if the weapon detected is an AirSoft, BB or other type of non-lethal gun. 

“We are very proud that our proactive tool has met and exceeded Hernando County Schools’ expectations,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder of ZeroEyes. “We will continue to provide the same customer service and support that they have come to expect as we work together to protect students and faculty against gun-related violence.” 

ZeroEyes' A.I. was trained to detect only guns; it does not perform any facial recognition, so there is no risk of bias based on skin color or other personal characteristics. The system also does not record or store personal or biometric data, videos or images of any kind. The ZOC receives images only when a gun has been identified; at all other times, the monitoring screens remain blank. 

ZeroEyes is deployed across a variety of industries in 30+ states, including K-12 school districts, commercial property groups, shopping malls, places of worship, hospitals, military bases, manufacturing plants, casinos and Fortune 500 campuses.