Baltimore County Public Schools and Baltimore County Police released a statement about the BCPS Omnilert system.
This is in response to a Kenwood student being detained after an AI gun detection system mistakenly determined his bag of chips was a gun.
Here is their statement:
Baltimore County Public Schools, in partnership with the Baltimore County Police Department, is deeply committed to ensuring the safety of all students and staff across our schools and offices. To protect our community, the school system employs a layered approach to security that includes clear student expectations, student safety assistants, safety managers, School Resource Officers (SRO), cameras, security vestibules, Open Gate and Omnilert weapons detection systems, and comprehensive training.
Baltimore County Public Schools and the Baltimore County Police Department have reviewed the school response and the police response to the incident at Kenwood High School on Monday, Oct. 20 and are committed to taking additional steps to ensure all staff fully understand and follow established protocols to prevent such incidents from occurring again.
BCPS will continue to provide ongoing counseling and emotional support to students impacted by this event.
Important Context:
Baltimore County Public Schools introduced Omnilert in 2023. Omnilert is a weapons detection system that works with existing cameras to proactively identify potential threats. All schools have been equipped with the Omnilert system, which leverages over 7,000 cameras, since the spring of 2024.
How Omnilert Works:
When Omnilert identifies an image of an object believed to meet specific characteristics of a firearm, it automatically generates an alert—all alerts are based on objects, not individuals.
The alert is then immediately reviewed by trained BCPS safety professionals in the BCPS Department of School Safety who validate or cancel the alert. If validated, the BCPS Department of School Safety notifies the Baltimore County Police Department to initiate a response.
If cancelled, no further law enforcement or safety action is taken. Although other BCPS administrators and staff receive Omnilert notifications– including alerts and cancellations—these notifications are sent for awareness purposes.
Timeline:
7:04 p.m. – Omnilert alert issued for review
7:05-7:06 p.m. – BCPS Executive Director of School Safety, BCPS School Safety Manager and Maryland Safe Schools Facilitator with the Baltimore County Police Department reviewed the alert and canceled it.
No further action was taken in the Omnilert system.
7:17 p.m. – Principal contacted the School Resource Officer (SRO) and reported the alert. Because this alert was received after school hours, the SRO called the local precinct.
7:23 p.m. – First officer arrives at Kenwood High School, responding to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon.
Next Steps:
To ensure proper adherence to established protocols, BCPS will incorporate specific reminders about Omnilert signals for awareness and communication as part of the annual scenario-based safety training. Administrators will communicate directly with the Executive Director of School Safety or Executive Director of Schools if they have concerns.
Additionally, BCoPD will remind all SRO’s of after-hours procedures. BCPS will provide continued counseling support for all staff and students impacted by this incident for the foreseeable future.
