PHILADELPHIA — Temple University will be the first university in the Philadelphia tri-state area, which encompasses parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, to deploy ZeroEyes’ artificial intelligence (AI) gun detection and intelligent situational awareness platform.
Located in North Philadelphia, Temple University holds the distinction of being ranked among the top 45 public schools by U.S News & World Report.
As a classified R1 institution, it “not only focuses on teaching but also engages in pioneering research,” according to the ZeroEyes announcement. The ZeroEyes solution will be deployed on the main campus, which spans 163 acres and accommodates approximately 30,000 students and faculty annually.
Why Temple University Deployed ZeroEyes’ AI Platform
“Our students enjoy the opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere and community that Philadelphia offers, and we are determined to ensure that they can do so safely,” says Dr. Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety and chief of police at Temple University.
“Our holistic approach to security at Temple includes our own police department, a 24/7 dispatch center, numerous security officers and 1,500 security cameras,” she says. “We are very excited about ZeroEyes’ ability to provide rapid detection and actionable intelligence about illegally brandished guns on our campus.”
ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software layers onto existing digital security cameras. If a gun is identified, images are instantly shared with the ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC), the industry’s only U.S.-based, fully in-house operation center, which is staffed 24/7/365 by specially trained U.S. military and law enforcement veterans.
If these experts determine that the threat is valid, they dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence — including visual description, gun type and last known location — to local law enforcement and Temple staff as quickly as three to five seconds from detection.
“We commend Temple University for being a trailblazer for safety here on the East Coast,” says Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder of ZeroEyes. “We look forward to working closely with the staff to make sure that students and faculty feel safe and are protected against gun-related violence.”
