The Benefits of AI Weapon Detection

In recent years, facilities such as hospitals, schools, casinos, and others have increasingly invested in weapons detection systems to meet public safety needs. However, not all these systems are equal, varying widely in accuracy, technological sophistication, cost-efficiency, and visitor experience. In this article, we’ll review the benefits of AI weapon detection and how SoundThinking’s SafePointe system can help you meet your public safety goals without sacrificing the visitor experience.

The Key Benefits

• Expedite the resolution of threats: AI-based weapons detection systems can monitor and analyze massive amounts of sensor data and identify weapons in near real time. This can dramatically accelerate an informed, tactical security response and improve safety outcomes.
• Continuous AI improvement: AI-based weapons detection systems constantly update and refine their machine learning models through exposure to new data and feedback, which means they can improve accuracy and efficiency much faster than systems solely relying on a manual screening approach.
• Reduced operational expense: A typical metal detector can require up to two to five individuals to operate, significantly increasing operational expense. This is problematic for various industries, such as hospitals looking to reduce non-provider costs. In contrast, AI-based weapons detection systems are sophisticated enough that screening can be unmanned without sacrificing accuracy or efficiency. AI-based systems can send alerts to departments via email, SMS, or app to allow security personnel to receive the alert without monitoring the system continuously.
• Improved throughput and better visitor experience: Traditional metal detectors require patrons to line up one at a time, creating an atmosphere of unease, annoyance, and general inconvenience. In contrast, an AI weapon detection system can accurately screen multiple patrons in near real-time. This benefit is twofold: It increases security teams’ overall efficiency while also improving the visitor experience.

How SafePointe’s AI-Based Weapons Detection System Can Help Security Teams Achieve These Benefits

SafePointe is an AI-based weapons detection system designed for high-throughput facilities. With its discreet form factor (two discreet metal bollards placed about ten feet apart), patrons can pass through without realizing they are being screened, alleviating bottlenecks without compromising the visitor experience.

Let’s look closer at how SafePointe’s AI-based weapons detection system can help your security teams achieve all the benefits listed above.

Key Feature # 1: Expedite Resolution of Threats with a Combination of AI and SafePointe Human Review

SafePointe’s patented system includes an advanced 3D camera and a NVIDIA®-powered edge processor running an AI model. The AI uses the live-motion data gathered by the camera (including direction of travel, speed, and movement) and magnetic data from the bollards to identify an individual or multiple individuals carrying weapons.

The 3D camera, edge processor, and updated software let SafePointe isolate the person by drawing a box around them and showing the weapon’s location on the person.

If a weapon is detected, the system promptly notifies human analysts from SoundThinking’s analyst review center, who then review and confirm this information within 10 seconds, filtering out non-threats such as armed security. Once identified as a verified threat, a digital alert and a short video are sent to the facility security staff.

This combined approach of leveraging an AI weapons detection system with SafePointe human review enables security teams to respond more accurately and efficiently to a high volume of alerts without sacrificing the visitor experience.

Furthermore, security teams can rest assured knowing that the state-of-the-art AI system is constantly being updated and refined in response to new data and feedback, continuously improving faster than if these same teams were relying solely on human review.

Key Feature # 2: Unmanned Screening that Reduces Operational Cost

Thanks to SafePointe’s multi-prong approach, which leverages state-of-the-art AI models and SafePointe analyst review, internal security departments can accurately respond to detected threats as they arise without needing to employ additional personnel to monitor the system continuously, ultimately saving money and reducing operational costs.

Key Feature # 3: Nondescript Bollards Improve Visitor Experience

Traditional metal detectors often result in long queues, impacting the visitor’s experience and creating a sense of unease. SafePointe, in contrast, is a concealed weapons detection system typically deployed as non-descript bollards or within approved planters, resulting in a more pleasant experience.

An example of SafePointe’s nondescript bollards outside of a building.

SafePointe can provide this pleasant visitor experience that meets rigorous safety standards largely because of AI. As entrants move past the bollards, magnetic moment technology identifies a digital signature of any magnetically conductive objects (such as weapons) by measuring the disruption to the Earth’s naturally occurring magnetic field. This data (along with personal motion data from the 3D camera) is then analyzed using AI to determine whether the subject has a weapon. The alert is forwarded to an analyst for verification if a weapon is detected.

Long story short: with SafePointe, patrons enter your facility unaware they are being screened for weapons, but a lot is happening behind the scenes to create that carefree experience.

Ready to Leverage the Benefits of an AI Weapon Detection System?

If you’re a security professional interested in learning more about how an AI weapon detection system can help you detect weapons with greater accuracy and efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve throughput and visitor experience, contact us today to learn more.

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