Baltimore County Public Schools wants community feedback on their weapons detection system -Omnilert.
The system was created to identify an object believed to meet specific characteristics of a firearm, but has shown flaws as it misidentified a Kenwood student’s bag of chips.
The following information and survey was submitted by BCPS
“As we develop the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Baltimore County Public Schools is seeking feedback from families and staff regarding our continued investment in weapons detection as part of our comprehensive school safety strategy. Initial input from principals and the Baltimore County Council of PTAs has already been gathered, and now we want to hear directly from you. Your feedback will inform next steps related to the future use of Omnilert in BCPS. Please submit your response by Wednesday, November 19, 2025,” BCPS said in an email.
“In response to rising concerns about school safety from parents/caregivers and staff, BCPS has employed a layered approach to school safety that includes technology. The school system implemented Omnilert, a weapons detection system that works with existing cameras, to proactively identify potential threats. Since May of 2024, all schools have been equipped with the Omnilert system, which leverages more than 7,000 cameras. BCPS administrators and School Resource Officers were recently retrained on important safety protocols and procedures, including established standard operating procedures for Omnilert.”
For more information and take to the survey, visit the BCPS website
