Weapon detectors are now official at Highland High School. On October 10th, the Salt Lake City School District hosted an open house at Highland for students, families, and members of the district community to see these machines in action, cementing the presence of these detectors in the district’s high schools.
The weapon detectors being put in at Highland can also be seen at the two other high schools within the district- West and East. Manufactured by the company Evolv, these detectors can be found at Highland’s three main entrances: the main doors, middle doors, and doors reaching the end of A hall.
As students return from the break, they will experience the soft launch of these new systems; the weapon detectors are set up and security personnel are present, but the machines will not officially be in use. This soft launch is an effort by the district to familiarize students with the new systems and allow students the chance to become more acquainted with the process these detectors will follow.
However, starting Monday, October 23, these systems will be put into full use at Highland’s operational entrances. Each of the entries will include both detectors and individuals manning the new systems and ensuring student participation. This additional personnel presence includes 2 security members at every lane, acting to monitor the system and ensure that students flow through smoothly. When students arrive at school in the morning, they will wait in line according to stanchion location and walk through the detectors at each set of open and accessible doors.
“The goal here is for students to walk in, hand over their laptop because it doesn’t like your laptop, pick-up it up [their laptop], and just walk in.” Vice President and Head of Education at Evolv Technology Neil Sandhoff said. “If someone brings something that they shouldn’t the system is going to alert; it will beep and turn red and it’s going to show a picture of who to look at and where to look.”
The location of the new weapons systems at Highland also means that many entrances students are accustomed to using will now be closed. Starting on the Tuesday after break, all other entrances aside from the ones in use with detection systems have been closed to students. Signs are to be posted at these entrances and Highland administration has urged students not to open the doors for others at these types of doors; instead, they are encouraging all students to only use the three open entrances.
On October 23 students can expect some delays as the system and manning security personnel are still getting use to students coming through and recognizing various objects. However, after a few days the machines are expected to become more consistent in their readings as they learn more about objects and inform their software and detection systems of them.
“The first few days are going to be different [than later on].” Sandhoff said. “It is very much a learning moment for everyone [at first].”
