Temple’s Department of Public Safety worked with Zero Eyes, a Philadelphia-based company focused on firearm detection, to implement an artificial intelligence gun detection software on 150 of 1,500 cameras around campus.
DPS demonstrated the new software for the first time in a press conference on Nov. 18.
“The equipment works to combat guns and gun violence on and around campus by identifying a firearm and so that we can respond quickly to the incident and gun related event,” said Jennifer Griffin, vice president of public safety, in the press conference. “When it comes to safety, the best approach is to have a layered approach, utilizing Zero Eyes as well as our other technology equipment and our personnel to make an impact at Temple and in North Philly.”
The software uses AI to analyze live feed from a selected camera. If the AI identifies a gun, the software pings Zero Eyes’ operations center in Hawaii, where employees vet the footage to decide if it is a false positive or if they see a gun and need to notify dispatch. Within five to 10 seconds, TUPD officers can receive a notification that a gun was detected.
Mike Lahiff, the CEO and co-founder of Zero Eyes, developed the technology after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018. He believed an AI detection software could make it possible to more effectively watch cameras for guns.
“No one watches cameras, it’s too difficult to watch hundreds or thousands of cameras,” said Rob Huberty, chief operating officer at Zero Eyes, in the press conference. “We said, ‘We should use AI as a tool that could do this, something that’s really monotonous but really important,’ so we said ‘Let’s start a company there.’”
Temple went through all of their cameras on and near main campus to pinpoint which locations would be best for the software. Though the Philadelphia Police Department has many off-campus cameras in the 22nd District, they confirmed that they do not use Zero Eyes to detect guns outside of Temple’s jurisdiction.
On 12th Street near Montgomery Avenue, police officers displayed a gun within view of one of the cameras during the press conference demonstration. The AI software picked up the shape and pinged the operations center. Within seconds of displaying the firearm, the feed showed a red box outlining the gun.
Once the operations center confirms a gun in the image, it pinged Griffin and the Temple Police communications center. It displayed a clothing description, a focus on the gun in question and a map to locate the incident.
There have been a number of shootings on or near Temple’s campus in recent weeks. On Nov. 8, a woman was shot in a road rage incident directly outside Pearson and McGonigle Hall on North Broad Street near Montgomery Avenue. Four days prior, on Nov. 4, a 15-year-old was shot in the arm at a retail strip below Vantage off-campus apartments.
As of Nov. 14, there have been 43 shootings this year within the 19121 zip code, according to the Office of the Controller. The area includes some of Temple’s Main Campus and a residential area in which many students reside.
“We commend Temple University for being a leader in public safety and implementing Zero Eyes’ technology here at Temple,” said Tanner Wood, a senior political science student and the public safety director for Temple Student Government. “This is another commitment by our chief of police, Jennifer Griffin, and TUPD to continually keep safety a top priority.”
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