Emerging Technology:

How AI Is Transforming Inmate Monitoring and Safety

Correctional facilities across the United States are facing increasing safety and operational challenges. Rising suicide rates, inmate-on-inmate violence, assaults on staff, medical emergencies, and contraband smuggling place constant pressure on jails and prisons—often with fewer staff and limited resources.

Traditional approaches such as manual cell checks and standard video surveillance are no longer sufficient on their own. To close critical visibility gaps and improve response times, correctional agencies are beginning to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their monitoring and safety strategies.

Why Traditional Monitoring Falls Short

Correctional officers and clinical staff work in environments defined by unpredictability. Even with cameras and scheduled rounds, early warning signs of danger are often missed—particularly in short-staffed facilities or during overnight hours.

Common high-risk incidents include:

• Suicide and self-harm attempts

• Inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults

• Medical emergencies and overdose detoxification

• Contraband activity involving weapons, drugs, or illicit devices

When staffing shortages, fatigue, and outdated systems are combined, incidents may go unnoticed until they escalate into serious injury, loss of life, or litigation.

What Is AI-Powered Threat Detection?

AI-powered monitoring systems use machine learning algorithms to analyze data from multiple sources in real time—without relying on constant human observation. These systems are trained to recognize behavioral anomalies and automatically alert staff when something appears out of the ordinary.

AI can detect indicators such as:

• Sudden collapses or erratic movement (potential medical events or violence)

• Prolonged inactivity (possible suicide or self-harm)

• Pacing, elevated body temperature, or agitation (signs of distress or illness)

• Suspicious movements or interactions associated with contraband activity

Unlike traditional surveillance, AI operates continuously, objectively, and without fatigue—acting as a force multiplier for overextended staff rather than a replacement.

Practical Use Cases in Corrections

As agencies look to maintain compliance while improving safety, AI presents several practical applications within correctional environments.

1. Suicide Prevention

Systems such as Cell-Guardian use sensor fusion—combining radar, thermal imaging, and computer vision with AI—to monitor inmate behavior without physical contact or wearables. This enables early detection of self-harm indicators and allows staff to intervene within seconds or minutes rather than relying solely on scheduled checks.

2. Violence Detection

AI algorithms can identify postures, movement patterns, or escalating behaviors that signal aggression. Early alerts allow officers to intervene before conflicts escalate into serious assaults.

3. Contraband Awareness

Some AI-enabled systems recognize behavioral patterns associated with contraband handling or passing, helping staff intercept illegal items more efficiently and reduce security risks.

4. Staff Protection

AI-driven situational awareness can help prevent ambushes or assaults on officers by flagging unusual activity or rising tension levels in real time.

When alerts are triggered, staff can respond immediately—and with appropriate safety or medical equipment—reducing the likelihood that an incident escalates further.

How AI Monitoring Systems Work

Modern AI monitoring platforms often integrate multiple data sources to create a more complete picture of activity:

• Video analysis: Trained models identify behaviors linked to self-harm, aggression, or medical distress

• Thermal and motion sensing: Detects presence, movement, and abnormal inactivity without relying on identifiable video

• Environmental sensors: Monitor temperature, humidity, and movement patterns

• Biometric indicators (where applicable): Analyze respiratory or heart-rate trends

This data is compared against baseline behavior patterns. When anomalies are detected, the system flags the event for review or automatically alerts staff for immediate action.

Measurable Impact on Safety and Liability

AI does not replace correctional professionals—it enhances their ability to act quickly and decisively.

Facilities adopting AI-assisted monitoring report:

• Faster response times to medical and safety emergencies

• Reduced preventable deaths and serious injuries

• Improved documentation and accountability

• Lower legal exposure related to wrongful-death or negligence claims

• More efficient use of limited staff resources

Proactive monitoring technology can significantly reduce the risk of incidents that lead to costly litigation—often reaching millions of dollars from a single preventable tragedy.

Ethical and Privacy Considerations

The use of AI in correctional environments raises important ethical questions, including privacy, data retention, and transparency.

Responsible deployment requires:

• Clear policies and human oversight

• Secure data storage and access controls

• Monitoring methods focused on safety—not punishment

Privacy-preserving systems, such as those using thermal imaging or abstracted visual representations rather than identifiable video, help address these concerns while maintaining situational awareness.

The Future of Smart Corrections

AI-powered monitoring is only the beginning. As technology continues to mature, future applications may include:

• Predictive analytics to identify individuals at elevated risk of violence or self-harm

• Early detection of medical emergencies such as seizures, strokes, or cardiac events

• AI-assisted mental health triage

• Expanded integration with secure health and safety systems

Correctional agencies that adopt data-driven safety strategies will be better positioned to protect staff, improve inmate outcomes, and manage long-term risk.

Final Thought

AI is already improving safety in jails and prisons. Touchless, privacy-aware solutions like Cell-Guardian demonstrate how technology can support overburdened staff, reduce preventable harm, and save lives.

For correctional leaders, the question is no longer if AI belongs in corrections—but how to deploy it responsibly as part of a broader safety and care strategy.

The post Emerging Technology: How AI Is Transforming Inmate Monitoring and Safety first appeared on TechnologyWest.

How Touchless Monitoring Technology Can Help Save Lives

Suicide remains one of the most urgent—and preventable—crises facing U.S. correctional facilities. Despite increased awareness and policy reforms, suicide rates among incarcerated individuals continue to rise, placing immense emotional, operational, and legal strain on correctional agencies nationwide.

At Technology West, we work with public safety partners to evaluate emerging technologies that strengthen safety while respecting privacy and operational realities. One such solution is Cell-Guardian, a touchless inmate monitoring platform designed to support early detection and rapid response in high-risk environments.

The Alarming Rise of Suicide in U.S. Jails and Prisons

Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death in correctional facilities. Beyond the tragic loss of life, these incidents deeply affect correctional officers, medical staff, fellow inmates, and families—often leaving long-lasting psychological and professional impacts.

According to data published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics:

• Suicide deaths increased 85% in state prisons, 61% in federal prisons, and 13% in local jails between 2001 and 2019

• Suffocation (including hanging and self-strangulation) accounted for nearly 90% of suicide deaths in local jails

• Approximately 12% of jail suicides occurred within the first 24 hours of incarceration

• Suicide rates among white inmates were five times higher than Black inmates and more than three times higher than Hispanic inmates

It is important to note that correctional suicide data often lags by several years, making it difficult for agencies to fully understand current risk levels or measure the effectiveness of interventions in real time.

Why Suicide Risk Is Elevated in Correctional Settings

Incarceration is a profoundly disruptive and stressful life event. Research shows that suicide rates within correctional facilities far exceed those of the general population, particularly during early confinement.

Key contributing factors include:

Environmental Stress

Isolation, loss of autonomy, institutional discipline, and separation from family and community can significantly increase feelings of hopelessness—especially during intake and pretrial detention.

Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Many individuals enter custody with preexisting mental health conditions or substance use disorders. Disrupted treatment, unfamiliar surroundings, and limited support systems can rapidly exacerbate these conditions.

Demographic and Behavioral Risk Factors

Men are significantly more likely to die by suicide than women in correctional settings. Individuals facing serious or violent charges may experience acute emotional distress as they confront long-term consequences.

Inadequate Mental Health Resources

Staffing shortages and limited access to behavioral health professionals can delay assessments and interventions for at-risk inmates.

Solitary Confinement and Single-Cell Housing

Isolation practices—though sometimes operationally necessary—are strongly correlated with increased suicide risk due to reduced human interaction and oversight.

The Human and Organizational Toll of Suicide

The impact of suicide extends far beyond the individual. Correctional officers, healthcare providers, clergy, volunteers, and program facilitators often carry lasting trauma after an incident—especially those who respond to or witness the aftermath.

Facilities may also face:

• Increased staff burnout and turnover

• Internal investigations and morale challenges

• Heightened legal exposure and public scrutiny

Preventing suicide is not only a moral imperative—it is a critical operational responsibility.

How Touchless Monitoring Technology Can Help

Traditional inmate monitoring methods—such as periodic rounds or fixed camera views—leave dangerous gaps between checks. Touchless monitoring technology offers a complementary layer of continuous oversight without requiring wearables or invasive surveillance.

Cell-Guardian is a zero-touch inmate monitoring system designed to detect early warning signs of distress and enable faster intervention.

Key Capabilities Include:

• Continuous, Touchless Monitoring
  Uses thermal imaging and sensor technology to observe inmate presence and movement without physical contact.

• Real-Time Alerts
  Automatically notifies staff of abnormal activity, prolonged inactivity, or sudden movement changes that may indicate medical distress or self-harm risk.

• AI-Driven Pattern Analysis
  Aggregates behavioral data over time to help identify trends and inform preventive strategies.

• Time-Stamped Video Documentation
  Associates alerts with synchronized video and sensor data to support accountability, investigations, and legal protection.

• Operational Compatibility
  Designed to integrate into existing correctional workflows and infrastructure with minimal disruption.

By supporting early detection and rapid response, touchless monitoring can help reduce reliance on reactive measures and provide staff with actionable insight when it matters most.

echnology as Part of a Broader Prevention Strategy

Technology alone cannot solve the suicide crisis in correctional facilities. Meaningful progress requires a layered approach that includes:

• Expanded mental health services

• Staff training and wellness support

• Clear intake and risk assessment protocols

• Policies that minimize unnecessary isolation

When combined with compassionate care and informed policy, touchless monitoring technology can play a powerful role in protecting lives.

Moving Forward

Reducing suicide in correctional facilities demands both urgency and innovation. By pairing modern monitoring tools with comprehensive mental health strategies, agencies can better safeguard inmates, support staff, and reduce preventable tragedies.

To learn more about touchless inmate monitoring solutions and how they fit into a modern correctional safety strategy, visit Technology West’s Cell-Guardian solution page.

The post Reversing the Rise of Suicide in Correctional Facilities first appeared on TechnologyWest.

A Privacy-First Approach to Safety in Correctional Medical Spaces

Correctional infirmaries, medical rooms, and exam spaces present a unique challenge: how to ensure safety for incarcerated individuals, clinical staff, and correctional officers—while still respecting medical privacy and compliance requirements.

Traditional video surveillance often cannot be used in these environments due to HIPAA standards and ethical concerns. Yet the absence of monitoring can create dangerous blind spots. As recent high-profile cases demonstrate, the lack of visibility in medical areas can lead to severe safety failures, legal exposure, and loss of public trust.

This raises an essential question for correctional leaders: Are there alternatives to traditional cameras that maintain safety without violating privacy?

The Limits of Cameras in Medical Settings

Most stakeholders agree that incarcerated patients deserve privacy during medical exams, treatment, and recovery. Infirmaries are intended to be safe, controlled environments for care—not areas of unchecked risk.

However, live-feed cameras and body-worn cameras pose significant challenges:

• They may violate HIPAA and patient privacy expectations

• They can discourage honest medical disclosure

• They create legal and ethical concerns around recorded medical encounters

As a result, many facilities restrict or prohibit cameras in medical areas—sometimes leaving staff without adequate oversight or documentation.

Sensor Fusion Technology: Monitoring Without Surveillance

Emerging sensor fusion technologies offer a new way to balance safety and privacy in sensitive correctional environments.

Sensor fusion combines data from multiple non-invasive sensors—such as radar, thermal imaging, and computer vision—into a single, unified understanding of activity within a space. Rather than capturing identifiable video footage, these systems analyze movement patterns, presence, and environmental conditions.

When paired with artificial intelligence (AI), sensor fusion systems can:

• Detect unexpected movement or inactivity

• Identify falls or erratic behavior

• Monitor room occupancy without visual identification

• Trigger alerts without streaming live video

This approach enables continuous awareness without constant visual surveillance.

Privacy-Preserving Monitoring in Correctional Infirmaries

Thermal imaging and radar-based monitoring allow facilities to maintain oversight while minimizing privacy risks. These systems focus on behavioral indicators, not personal identity.

Key advantages include:

• No reliance on traditional video feeds

• Reduced exposure of private medical interactions

• Improved compliance with privacy and medical standards

• Continuous monitoring during high-risk situations, such as detoxification or medical observation

This technology is particularly valuable in infirmaries, mental health observation rooms, and exam spaces where both privacy and safety are critical.

Applying Sensor Fusion in Corrections with Cell-Guardian

One example of this technology in practice is Cell-Guardian, a zero-touch inmate monitoring system designed specifically for correctional environments.

Cell-Guardian uses sensor fusion—including radar and thermal imaging—to monitor movement and environmental conditions without requiring wearables or intrusive cameras. Units can be mounted to walls or ceilings and accessed through a secure, browser-based interface, allowing for integration with existing correctional systems.

Capabilities include:

• Detection of movement, falls, or prolonged inactivity

• Real-time alerts when abnormal behavior occurs

• Monitoring of individuals experiencing medical distress, detoxification, or mental health crises

• Time-stamped event records to support accountability and review

By providing continuous, non-invasive oversight, systems like Cell-Guardian give staff an additional layer of situational awareness in areas where traditional monitoring is limited or inappropriate.

The Future of Privacy-First Monitoring

As sensor fusion technology continues to evolve, future applications may include:

• Detection of respiratory and heart rate patterns

• Faster identification of medical emergencies

• Early alerts for physical altercations or unsafe one-on-one interactions

These advances have the potential to improve outcomes while reducing staff strain and enhancing care standards in correctional settings.

Moving Forward

Correctional facilities no longer need to choose between privacy and safety. With modern sensor fusion and thermal monitoring technologies, agencies can protect incarcerated individuals and staff while respecting medical confidentiality.

Privacy-first monitoring represents a meaningful step forward in correctional healthcare, safety, and accountability—one that aligns technology with humane, responsible operations.

The post Challenge with Monitoring Correctional Medical Facilities first appeared on TechnologyWest.

3 Ways Proactive, AI-Powered Gun Detection Enhances School Safety

Ensuring the safety of students and staff in schools has become more critical than ever. Recent statistics highlight the alarming rise in gun-related incidents, making it essential to adopt proactive security measures.

Traditional security approaches often react only when a threat is already present. This lag can cost precious time and lives. A shift toward proactive technology can address potential threats before they escalate, offering significant advantages in school safety.

Proactive security measures detect potential threats early on. AI technology monitors existing security cameras continuously, providing real-time alerts at the first sign of a firearm. This approach offers several benefits:

• Real-time firearm detection
• Instant alerts to authorities
• Enhanced readiness for emergencies

The Power of Integration: ZeroEyes and Raptor Technologies

ZeroEyes’ and Raptor Technologies’ integration enhances emergency management by seamlessly blending proactive threat detection and comprehensive communication to create swift emergency response coordination—using every crucial second.

Roberto Muñoz, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at Texas’s Angleton Independent School District, uses Raptor Technologies and ZeroEyes to help protect his district’s students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

“We can’t afford to continue using isolated systems,” Muñoz says. “Raptor and ZeroEyes have shown how seamless integration can be achieved and are leading the way in this space.”

As soon as ZeroEyes’ AI-powered technology detects a potential threat, former military and law enforcement analysts verify it in real-time at one of its ZeroEyes Operation Centers (ZOCs).

Here’s a closer look at how this technology can help.

1. Real-Time Situational Awareness

Immediate situational awareness is vital in emergencies. AI-powered systems can verify threats in real-time to help ensure a rapid response from law enforcement and school staff.

Key features include:

• Quick threat verification
• Rapid alert initiation
• Enhanced communication with responders

“ZeroEyes has helped us to get law enforcement to respond to threats very quickly,” says Muñoz.

2. Seamless Emergency Response Integration

Integrating proactive threat detection with comprehensive communication systems improves emergency management. This integration ensures swift response coordination and effective communication.

Some of the many advantages:

• Real-time, two-way communication
• Improved coordination among staff and responders
• Enhanced response time and effectiveness

3. Reducing Trauma and Saving Lives

“Time is of the essence, and ZeroEyes has done an amazing job of telling the difference between a real gun and a water gun, as well as identifying weapons in low-light conditions the human eye may not catch,” Muñoz says. “People feel relief that we have something like ZeroEyes.”

Proactive measures reduce the likelihood of harm and mitigate the traumatic effects of incidents (to learn more, get our free research report, “The Real Cost of Gun Violence“). Automated alert processes prioritize safety, allowing staff to focus on guiding students to safety.

You can probably imagine some of the benefits, like:

• Distinguishing real threats from false alarms
• Effective identification in challenging conditions
• Prioritizing safety without manual alert delays

Impact on School Safety

Proactive threat detection signifies a transformative shift in school safety. By focusing on preemptive measures, schools create a safer environment where education remains the priority.

This approach ensures:

• Prevention overreaction
• Safe learning environments
• Trusted, capable safety measures

“It’s seamless, faster than a person, and ensures everyone can seek shelter immediately,” says Muñoz.

The system’s real-time, two-way communication feature allows school staff, law enforcement, and first responders to strategize and share vital information instantly. This seamless integration can improve response times and ensure that everyone involved understands the situation, enabling a coordinated and effective response that prioritizes the safety of students and staff.

“Raptor has been instrumental in enabling real-time communication during emergencies. The chat feature allows administrators and first responders to strategize and implement plans effectively,” Muñoz says. “This combined capability has significantly enhanced our safety measures and coordination among district officers and first responders.”

With the integration between Raptor and ZeroEyes, schools can be protected and prepared to keep their staff and students out of harm’s way.

To learn more about how ZeroEyes and Raptor integrate to enhance emergency response, schedule a live demonstration now. 

The post 3 Ways Proactive, AI-Powered Gun Detection Enhances School Safety first appeared on TechnologyWest.

How to Build a Custom Security Plan for Gun Violence in K-12 Schools

In today’s world, solid, comprehensive security plans are imperative for U.S. schools and educational institutions. Gun violence on campus has become so prevalent that many schools can now get grants or other funding options to help—if not fully—cover the cost of some security providers.

Ensuring the safety of your students, staff, and visitors requires a tailored approach addressing each school’s unique needs and circumstances. Here, we guide you through the essential steps in building a custom security plan to mitigate the risk of gun violence in K-12 schools. Let’s dive in!

Why You Need a Custom Security Plan

Each school is different, with its own layout, population size, culture, and specific vulnerabilities. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Here, you’re doing a custom security plan to address your school’s unique challenges and leverage your specific strengths to create a safer environment.

Step 1: Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment

This step is crucial. It works even better if you create a team and conduct a comprehensive risk assessment together. Here’s how to do it.

• Identify vulnerabilities: Evaluate the school’s physical layout, including entry points, visibility, and areas where students congregate.
• Review incident history: Analyze past incidents of violence or threats to understand patterns and potential risks.
• Engage stakeholders: Involve teachers, staff, students, parents, and local law enforcement in identifying concerns and potential threats.
• Assess current measures: Evaluate the effectiveness of existing security measures and policies.

Step 2: Develop a Multi-Layered Security Strategy

Congratulations, you completed your risk assessment! That’s no small feat—and pretty eye-opening, right? Next, it’s strategy time. Here, you’ll create a robust security plan that incorporates multiple layers of protection. Key components include:

Physical Security Measures

• Controlled access: Implement secure entry points with identification systems.
• Surveillance systems: Install cameras in strategic locations to monitor activity.
• Secure classrooms: Equip classrooms with locking mechanisms that can be activated quickly during an emergency.

Personnel

• School Resource Officers (SROs): Station-trained law enforcement officers on campus.
• Security staff: Employ additional security personnel to patrol and monitor the premises.
• Training for staff and students: Conduct regular training sessions on emergency procedures and recognizing potential threats.

Policies and Procedures

• Emergency response plan: Develop and regularly update a comprehensive emergency response plan.
• Communication systems: Ensure there are reliable methods for alerting staff, students, and first responders during an incident.
• Reporting mechanisms: Create anonymous reporting systems for students and staff to report suspicious behavior or threats.

Step 3: Foster a Safe and Inclusive School Culture

It’s proven that positive school culture can help prevent violence. Take the time to implement these initiatives, as a start:

• Mental health support: Provide access to counseling services and mental health resources for students and staff.
• Bullying prevention: Implement anti-bullying programs and ensure that students feel safe reporting bullying incidents.
• Conflict resolution: Teach students effective conflict resolution skills to manage disputes peacefully.

Step 4: Engage the Community

Building a secure school environment is a community effort. Involve parents, local businesses, and community organizations in your security plan. Regularly update them on security measures and encourage their participation in safety initiatives.

Step 5: Continuously Evaluate and Improve

Security plans shouldn’t be static—regularly review and update them to address new threats and improve existing measures. Conduct drills and simulations to test the effectiveness of your plan and make necessary adjustments.

How Safe Is Your School?

Creating a custom security plan for gun violence in K-12 schools is a complex but crucial task. Get your team together and keep each other motivated as you help make your school the safe, nurturing space it’s meant to be.

Remember, the goal is not only to respond to potential threats but also to prevent them by building a supportive and vigilant school culture…and using the best tools available.

We help with the prevention part in another way: When someone brandishes a weapon—even just partially—in view of your cameras equipped with ZeroEyes software, your school security team and local law enforcement are notified within seconds. The goal is to stop gun-related violence on campus at first sight—not first shot.

When Every Second Matters

In an active shooter training event, Rancocas Valley Regional High School improved officer response time by nearly two-thirds. Without implementing ZeroEyes, the response time for officers to reach the “gunman” was 3 minutes and 13 seconds. With ZeroEyes, officers responded and made first contact in 1 minute and 15 seconds.

And in situations like guns on campus, every second counts in a big way…

Knowing exactly who to look for reduces students’ hazard risk. In the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, over 130 calls to 911 were made with conflicting information. If law enforcement doesn’t know what the shooter actually looks like, this increases everyone’s hazard level.

Here’s how ZeroEyes’ AI-powered, human-verified gun detection works…

Choosing the Right Solutions

When evaluating your institutional security system, keep in mind that most systems are reactive: Alarms go off and people begin running for safety only after a crisis occurs.

The best security systems are proactive and layered—preventing or identifying potential threats before danger strikes. Cameras, door blocks, hardened areas, window screening and buzzer systems should be upgraded and maintained as a part of a multi-layered security approach.

ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection software is the leading solution for detecting visible guns and proactively alerting authorities when a threat is detected.

Staying Ahead of the Bad Guys

A bad actor—a threat—only needs to find one entry point, one weak link. That’s why it’s critically important to examine every aspect of a thorough security system evaluation and strengthen every possible weakness. Shooters and most other attackers are looking for fairly easy targets. The harder you make it for them, the less likely they are to attack. We hope this guide helps you make it harder for them.

ZeroEyes is here to help make schools and other institutions safer by providing the highest quality, state-of-the-art gun-detection system that respects people’s privacy while working proactively to warn you and local first responders before the first shot is fired.

This proactive approach can help you safeguard your people faster, with law enforcement potentially arriving quicker. We let the police know where the perpetrator is to help quickly resolve the situation.

And since our system installs easily on your existing security cameras, ZeroEyes is budget-friendly and quickly installed.

The post How to Build a Custom Security Plan for Gun Violence in K-12 Schools first appeared on TechnologyWest.

Gun Violence at Our Schools—Complex and Catastrophic

Part of an in-depth series of research into the variety of ways individuals and entire communities are affected by violence, details around:

• Gun violence categories, including the difference between types of active shooters, spontaneous, and targeted violence.
• Security measure efficacy for gun violence types
• Costs and considerations for various layers of security often considered

Varieties of gun violence in education

Schools, whether K-12 or universities, are susceptible to unique types of violence. While basic gun violence types span all environments, schools tend to see different types of perpetrators and concentrations of violence types.

The four main types of gun violence that impact school environments include:

1. Active Shooter Incidents
2. Threats
3. Hoaxes and “Swatting”
4. Perceived Violence

Active Shooter Incidents

The most frequently reported on and feared event—an active shooter on premises. A person (or persons) with a gun is present on campus or at a school event. These are every parent, faculty, staff, and student’s fear.

They may be in the parking lot, at a stadium, or inside a classroom when they are discovered, but they have made it to the premises with a gun. The gun may be legally or illegally owned. In most instances this does not matter as firearms are prohibited on almost every campus, and discharging the weapon immediately results in a crime whether this is a victim or not.

But even these incidents have variations that are extremely important.

Active shooter types vary based on:

1. Access to the premises
2. Motive
3. Target(s)

Because there are so many kinds of active shooter situations, school environments and the associated law enforcement teams have to know how to handle each situation differently.

Active Shooter Types

• Single Shooter Insider Attack. Someone with knowledge of the facility who can bypass security or access the premises. Typically the focus of a grievance about a person at the location or symbolic grievance to the location.
• Multiple Shooter Insider Attack. Carried out by a group of people, with at least one having knowledge of the premises. Most are aligned around specific targets at the location.
• Frontal Assault. A raid on a target that the shooter(s) does not have permission to enter. This can be former students or staff members, people from a neighboring school, etc.
• Sniper Attack. Someone beyond the boundaries of the campus firing onto the premises. Typically into crowded parking lots, school entryways, bus loading zones, and athletic or event lines.
• Assassination / Ambush. The targeted killing of a person or persons because the shooter knows their whereabouts.
• Hostage-taking. Holding a person or persons against their will for personal or financial gain, or grievances.

Spontaneous Shootings and Targeted Gun Violence

Spontaneous shootings and targeted gun violence are not active shooter situations, but they’re often mistaken for them.

Hearing gunfire makes people panic. But immediately assuming that it’s an active shooter is misleading and has negative, and sometimes dangerous, consequences.

First, let’s define what each of these are, and then discuss the consequences.

Spontaneous Shooting

Spontaneous shootings are usually the result of an escalation of a fight. For example, two people begin to argue, then a physical altercation begins. As it escalates, someone may pull a gun they have or a family member or friend who is a bystander may draw a weapon and fire.

This is not an active shooter, because the shooter does not intend to shoot someone prior to the altercation, nor do they plan to continue shooting following that exact moment.

Targeted Gun Violence

Targeted gun violence, including domestic disputes, a disgruntled employee killing a supervisor, or other forms of murder in a public place are also not active shooters. In these instances, someone has a specific person that they plan to kill and no more.

At times, people who plan targeted gun violence attacks do become active shooters if they find themselves cornered or feel others are getting in their way.

Threats, Hoaxes and Swatting

Many people think threats and hoaxes are the same thing. They are very different and need to be addressed differently.

Threats

Threats and hoaxes are often confused. Threats occur when someone has a real intent to harm another person, persons, or property. The threat may have detailed planning and forethought or may have been made in the heat of the moment. Either way, threats are the result of intent and ability to carry out a shooting event.

Hoaxes and “Swatting”

Hoaxes and swatting issues differ from threats in the fact that they do not have real intent to follow through on a shooting. Most hoaxes are the result of students at the school, neighboring school, or in the community attempting to disrupt the normal school day. This can happen due to bullying, to get out of a test or assignment, peer pressure or “dares”, and a variety of other causes.

Swatting’s goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to respond to an address. Many swatting instances use caller ID spoofing, voice altering software or devices, and even computer-generated calling. Some calls even come from outside of the country and have federal government involvement. There are thousands of cases of swatting already reported this year, including an instance in Massachusetts where 30 separate schools experienced swatting calls in a single day.

While they aren’t “active shooter” situations, the results can still be extreme. When hoaxes and swatting occur, the impact includes:

• School authorities and administrators get involved. That means time away from other activities and a series of protocols that are disruptive.
• Law enforcement, sometimes several branches including local, state and federal, are required. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars are used. Other crimes or issues are put on the back burner. Public areas may be closed down for hours, possibly days.
• Students, faculty, and staff are upset. Their day is disrupted, they lose valuable education time during the incident as well as for days following as anxiety continues. Fear causes loss of sleep, focus issues, behavioral issues, and absenteeism.
• Parents panic. They may pull their children out of class or the school altogether. Especially if they believe the school is not doing enough to create a safe space. They may demand action, remove their child from extracurricular activities, or try to control the situation themselves.

The toll is emotional, physical, and financial—even when “nothing happens.”

That brings us to perceived gun violence.

Perceived Gun Violence

Perceived violence is not normally considered an issue, but it should be. What is perceived violence? It’s what happens when we hear about gun violence and issues so frequently that we cultivate feelings of fear, anger, or anxiety. These problems disrupt routines, cause people to act in ways they wouldn’t normally, or to feel suspicious of people we would usually trust.

Perceived violence can lead to absenteeism from students and faculty, loss of sleep and focus, avoidance of activities including extracurricular experiences and sports, and in the worst cases, bringing weapons to campus to “protect yourself.”

Perceived violence escalates when we hear about issues on other campuses, even in locations that aren’t schools. The loss of secure spaces has a detrimental effect on everything from recruitment and retention of students and teachers, to funding and donor or sponsorship issues.

What Can You Do About Gun Violence at School?

Gun violence in our schools, activities, athletic events, and communities has an impact that is long-standing and multi-faceted. Our approach to it must also be multi-faceted, addressing the issues from several sides and ensuring we have looked at all the angles.

After seeing the several attack types, issues caused by threats, hoaxes, and swatting, and learning the difference between active shooters and other forms of gun violence—it’s clear that not all safety measures are useful against each option. In our next event series, we’ll discuss in depth the types of issues and the best ways to combat them on your campus.

The post The Impact of Gun Violence in Education first appeared on TechnologyWest.