Is every Iowa school shooting preventable? New AI technology might be able t greatly reduce them says Navy SEAL and University of Iowa MBA Grad, Robert Carter. School shootings are an extremely difficult conversation. After COVID, “it has skyrocketed,” he says. But leaving political differences aside, there are strategies we can put in place.
School shootings have been on the rise since the 1960s, with a significant increase following the COVID-19 pandemic and sadly, real solutions are overlooked in favor of political finger pointing. The truth is, there are solutions and with a new law in Iowa, schools can use high-tech solutions to prevent tragedy.
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The Tactical Challenges of Responding to School Shootings
Discussing the tactical challenges law enforcement faces, Carter highlights the confusion caused by inaccurate 911 calls during active shooter situations. “About 90% of the calls are inaccurate,” Carter says, which complicates the response and slows down the process of neutralizing the threat.
He describes how police often respond to the front door of the building, clearing each room one by one, which can be inefficient in large school buildings. Perhaps the biggest challenge in preventing school shootings, fatalities, and injuries is overcoming poor communication.
Carter also compares different responses, such as the swift action seen in the Nashville school shooting versus the delayed response in Uvalde. He acknowledges that while training is essential, it’s difficult for officers to prepare for every scenario, making real-time intelligence crucial. Communication is key to preventing an Iowa school shooting.
Iowa school shooting prevention
Carter works for ZeroEyes. The company is preventing school shootings using AI. The software integrates with existing security cameras to detect firearms in real time. If a gun is detected, the system alerts trained staff of the threat who can dispatch Police with accurate information.
Former military and law enforcement personnel review the AI alerts to confirm the presence of a gun. This dual approach minimizes false alarms and ensures that only credible threats trigger a response.
This rapid communication allow law enforcement to respond faster, and more directly to the threat. Carter explains, “Over 80% of the time, the gun is brandished 2 to 30 minutes before the first shot is fired,” which underscores the importance of early detection in preventing school shootings.
Watch the video interview
Iowa School Shooting Prevention Funding
Carter touches on funding to prevent any an Iowa school shooting. This includes security technology that meets specific standards. This funding allows schools to adopt solutions like ZeroEyes, which not only enhance security but also fit within the state’s compliance framework.
ZeroEyes is already being implemented in several school districts across Iowa. Woodbine Community school district is currently using the tech and dozens more schools, but not all schools are comfortable disclosing their use of the technology. It’s understandable.
Carter points out the debate between using ZeroEyes as a deterrent versus maintaining a tactical advantage by keeping the system’s presence under wraps. Both approaches can be effective in preventing another Iowa school shooting.
I hope that we don’t even have to detect real firearms and dispatch alerts and have that event happen,” said Carter. “But if it were to happen, ZeroEyes is there to pass that information along.”