ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — School districts in the DMV and nationwide are increasingly taking steps to keep students safe and the school security industry is booming as a result.
Driven by a combination of concern about avoiding the next major school tragedy, advancements in security technology and pressure from concerned parents and staffers, local school districts — which in some cases are among the nation’s largest — are making expensive purchases of weapons detection systems to beef up security:
- Fairfax County Public Schools will spend nearly $4.2 million this fall to install the latest walkthrough weapons detection system from the company CEIA USA, in all middle and high schools.
- Prince William County Public Schools is in the middle of a four-year $10.6 million contract with Evolv Technologies, another manufacturer of next-gen weapons detectors
- Alexandria City Public Schools pays approximately $291,000 annually for the Evolv Express weapons detection system.
- In June, Loudoun County Public Schools signed a five-year deal with Bethesda, Maryland-based Volt AI, worth $1.1 million the first year, to install AI-driven weapons-detection software this fall, which will be linked to security cameras inside the district’s 98 schools.
Tom McDermott, the K-12 Safety and Security and Marketing Manager for CEIA USA, said five years ago sales to schools represented 1% to 2% of the company’s business. Today, McDermott told 7News, it’s “about 60%, which is nuts.”
Anil Chitkara, Chief Growth Officer and Co-Founder of Evolv Technologies, said the company’s signature weapons detector, Evolv Express, initially intended for concert arenas and sports venues, is now finding plenty of willing buyers in school districts across the country…