Rekor Systems announced the nationwide launch of OnGuard, its comprehensive
school safety program to enhance student safety. The first implementation of OnGuard will be at a school district in upstate New York.
OnGuard adds a protective layer of security to any school campus by identifying and assessing threats to school safety beyond school buildings. OnGuard can increase protection for schools without diverting school resources and funding from education. It has been designed to support school administration and staff, with smart automation and highly experienced resource support.
“School districts are being asked to do more and more each year to keep students safe. Metal detectors, armed security guards, and even arming teachers have all been suggested as solutions for school safety. But school employees aren’t professional threat assessors – their core mission is to educate students,” said Robert A. Berman, President and CEO, Rekor Systems. “We launched OnGuard to help school districts enhance security without stretching themselves thin. Every student deserves to feel safe in their school, and Rekor is committed to being an integral part of the solution.”
OnGuard will provide enhanced student safety through:
Protective intelligence and advance warnings around school buses
The company's vehicle recognition software, powered by AI and machine learning, is operating while the school bus is stationary or moving, and can identify potential dangers to children posed by any vehicle of concern that may be stalking the bus. When a vehicle that is on a watch list is flagged by Rekor’s on-board vehicle recognition technology, real time alerts are sent to law enforcement for rapid response to any potential behaviors of concern from sexual offenders. The same technology can look for vehicles associated with Amber Alerts and provide additional “eyes on the road” to assist law enforcement.
School bus stop-arm enforcement
OnGuard provides an end-to-end solution for reducing school bus passing violations – illegal in all 50 states. Once a violation is captured, our IP360 violation processing suite offers a web-based application that provides a single interface for all citation management functions. The objective of photo enforcement is to help public safety agencies reduce incidences of dangerous and aggressive driving through voluntary compliance. Combining Rekor’s automated traffic safety enforcement solutions with a complete suite of program support services allows municipalities to easily manage all violations.
Social media protective intelligence monitoring
OnGuard’s
social media monitoring solution, FIRSTSight, is the result of a partnership between Rekor and ZeroFox. FIRSTSight uses
machine learning combined with the expertise of former U.S. Secret Service special agents to proactively identify and analyze concerning posts on open-source social media platforms and provide guidance on recommended actions based upon the nature of the post and related content. The FIRSTSight approach reflects the threat assessment model defined by the Secret Service in its Enhancing School Safety Using A Threat Assessment Model. FIRSTSight combines AI with human understanding and intelligence, by drawing on the expertise of highly skilled intelligence analysts to support school safety and student well-being. Protective intelligence monitoring has the potential to identify otherwise unknown threats.
60% of Americans believe that monitoring the content of students’ social media accounts will make schools safer.
"The Town of Fallsburg is eager to work with Rekor and OnGuard to enhance both school and public safety throughout our town. Each day we are bombarded with new acts of senseless violence and irresponsible driving accidents. With each story, we scratch our heads and think of how they can be prevented. These programs are a good first step and we look forward to their implementation. It’s time to rethink our current procedures and models and think out of the box to stop violent acts and needless accidents from harming our family, friends and neighbors,” said Steven Vegliante, Supervisor of the Town of Fallsburg in Upstate New York.
Access monitoring and parking management
OnGuard expands a school's visitor management monitoring through the installation of
automatic license plate reader (“ALPR”) cameras at school vehicle entrances and exits. The cameras are integrated into Rekor's IP360 system and can be easily customized per school. The OnGuard system also provides access monitoring for school parking lots and online management for parking permits, easily tailored to approve or blacklist specific cars to be admitted to school grounds.
Controlling access to school buildings during school hours is the number one safety and security measure used by public and private schools, with over 88% of schools having controlled access to their building during school hours.
Affordability
For many schools, resources are limited and necessary investments in security may reduce funding to support education and learning. In a recent survey, more than half of K-12 principals said that adequate funding was their top concern. Without a solution that efficiently combines social media monitoring technology along with the human expertise to accurately evaluate potential threats, the resources necessary to identify, evaluate and respond to behaviors of concern are enormous. To address this and ensure school safety is affordable for all, OnGuard's pricing can be a cost neutral model, drawing funding from the enforcement of school bus stop-arm violations.