On December 6, 2023, three people were killed and another critically injured in a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The incident occurred at UNLV’s Lee Business School, where the gunman was taken down by two university police officers before more students or staff could be injured. This marks 392 active shooter events in schools since Columbine and 200 mass shootings this year in the U.S. 

In the case of UNLV, and according to The Washington Post, the university sent out a campus alert via mobile phones that shots were heard and a subsequent warning urging students and staff to “evacuate to a safe place. RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.” 

On November 3, a student was shot and killed in Indianapolis. About one week earlier, four students were shot and injured in Baltimore. In September, a 14-year-old student shot and killed one student and wounded two others in Greensburg, LA. And the list goes on, with the latest Texas shooting occurring in Arlington’s Lamar High School, where one student was killed and another injured. 

While the debate rages regarding how to keep people safe as a nation, schools are left to their own devices. The following represent some of the security measures districts in Harlingen, TX, are taking to help protect students and staff.

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Video Surveillance and Access Control

Lessons from the mass shooting in Uvalde showcase the importance of campus surveillance, access control, and fast response times. Salvador Ramos crashed his vehicle next to the school, came out of the car with an assault rifle, and fired four shots. A teacher, who had propped open a door, saw him walk toward the school through the parking lot and closed the door, but it didn’t lock. 

Ramos had spoken out on social media regarding violence and had been flagged by school officials as “at risk.”

Today, smart video surveillance systems with artificial intelligence-enabled tools include facial recognition software. This technology enables school officials to incorporate a list of “at-risk” individuals. The cameras compare people entering the school grounds with this database and, in seconds, notify the security staff when there’s a match. 

These systems can also integrate with access control, locking down a school when someone on the list is spotted. Additionally, today’s AI-smart security cameras can alert authorities when someone’s carrying a weapon and if suspicious movements are detected in usually empty hallways.

Gunshot Detection

Another technology schools are turning to is gunshot detection. These systems can differentiate between gunfire, explosions, and other similar sounds. When detected, the system immediately alerts security and staff through their mobile devices and mass communication systems. 

It also sends the location of the shooter and ballistic data to law enforcement. When integrated with access control and video surveillance, the school goes into lockdown, and security cameras focus in on the shooter’s location, tracking their movements.

As one of the largest security systems integrators serving the Rio Grande Valley since 1947, our hearts go out to those affected by this growing tragedy. To learn more about protecting students and staff from active shooter events or to schedule a site survey, contact Circle Industries today.