Philadelphia — Rob Huberty’s Operations Center says “military” — for good reason.
His company, ZeroEyes, seeks to combat America’s scourge of school shooters. It is artificial intelligence technology scans security cameras for guns in hundreds of school districts, transmitting images to a central command for rapid inspection of shootings. The software flags suspicious images to workers, who can then send authorities with the press of a button.
Huberty, a former Navy SEAL, was struck by surveillance footage of the 2018 Parkland School Shooting who showed his weapon visible on camera before the massacre. However, no one was looking at the time and the shooter killed 17 people. ZeroEyes hopes to prevent this from happening by creating a window of opportunity to save lives before a shooting begins.
In the last four years alone, school shootings killed more than 200 people and injured more than 600, according to a CBS News analysis of the elementary and secondary school shooting database. Schools are spending huge sums on products like AI monitoring and foldable safes, while bulletproof backpacks and school supplies are marketed to fearful parents.
ZeroEyes technology is expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars per year. It also cannot spot hidden weapons, such as a gun hidden in a backpack.
In Alabama, commercial entrepreneur Kevin Thomas is proposing a different solution: a collapsible, expandable safe installed inside the classroom. It’s floor-to-ceiling, bulletproof, and spacious enough to accommodate 30 students. Thomas started building these devices after the deaths of 22 people Shooting at Uvalde school in 2022.
About $3 billion is spent school safety every year, according to market research firm Omdia, but Professor Daniel Semenza of Rutgers University says there is “not very good research” suggesting the money is well spent.
“It’s a fear response and an empowerment,” Semanza said.
Thomas’ safe costs $45,000. He says he would give one to every class and would go bankrupt if he could – which is unlikely, as America’s schools are getting closer to fortresses.
Marc Strassmann
