Drew Wilson
Motorola Solutions on Wednesday launched a school safety platform that combines video, data, analytics and voice technology to help keep campuses secure
The “Safe Schools” solution allows administrators to control building access, quickly communicate with local law enforcement and increase operational efficiency.
A news release claims “each element of the solution is built to enhance security, as well as detect and deter potential incidents.”
An example of Safe Schools attention to detail: The integrated platform uses artificial intelligence to analyze video and alert school officials of suspicious activity they may have missed.
“When parents send their children back to school, they expect that their child will be in a secure environment. However, because schools are a place for the community and visitors to gather, securing them can be a unique challenge,” Motorola Solutions senior vice president John Zidar said.
“Safe Schools is designed to help schools be more proactive in their safety planning and provide visibility into otherwise unknown threats, helping to ensure that students are safer and personnel can focus on the job at hand.”
Zidar said the launch coincides with and increased interest in school security infrastructure. While the new coronavirus has closed schools for the rest of the academic year in Florida and elsewhere, education officials see an opportunity to modernize their safety suite for when students return.
Some schools have already jumped on board, such as Perry Township Schools. Motorola partnered with ERS Wireless to implement the system in two high schools in the Indianapolis-area school district.
“Safe Schools gives us the ability to monitor all areas of our campus in real-time, assess potential situations and respond to alerts in just a few minutes,” said Chris Sampson, the district’s associate superintendent.
“We are thankful Motorola Solutions’ state-of-the-art technology can help create a secure environment for our students, teachers and community members as we look forward to having our students back with us in our Perry Township schools.”
The company touted Safe Schools’ proficiency in four key areas.
— Detect: By using video security and analytics, license plate recognition, anonymous tip submission and access control, schools can better protect their perimeter and automate building access or lockdowns.
— Analyze: By leveraging AI-powered video analytics, schools can quickly identify suspicious activities and easily search video footage to locate individuals based on physical descriptions.
— Communicate: By integrating two-way radios, broadband devices and video security, school employees are instantly notified of any security breach by a text-to-voice alert and text message on their radio, providing proactive notifications for both every day and critical events.
— Respond: By sharing real-time alerts and live video feeds, school officials and public safety agencies can coordinate an incident response and provide instant “eyes on the scene.”
The company will demo the Safe Schools platform through a virtual showcase Wednesday and Thursday. The showcases run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.
