As AI technology advances, more schools and organizations are thoughtfully adding it to their safety and security portfolios. What started as cautious exploration is now moving into real-world deployments across education, manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and corporate environments. These early adopters are not only getting new capabilities, but they’re also setting the standard for how this technology can be used responsibly and effectively.
It’s encouraging to see these leaders share what they’ve learned, so others can understand the value of AI and how to implement it. Their openness is building a foundation of best practices as adoption grows.
A recent independent review is a great example of this leadership. In a WBAL Radio interview, Maryland’s Inspector General for Education, Richard Henry, discussed his findings after evaluating one of the largest deployments of this new technology in the country. His comments provide real-world insight into how AI fits into modern safety and how it performs in day-to-day environments.
A Real-World Look at How AI Safety Technology Works
During the radio interview, Henry walked through the results of his review, which included Omnilert’s AI gun detection deployment across more than 9,600 cameras in a major school district. His initial takeaway was encouraging:
“We found that this system works 100% of the time.”
Henry said the technology is an early warning system. When it detects something that looks like a potential threat, it sends the alert to trained specialists who review it in seconds. Only after human verification does the alert get sent to the district’s safety team.
Bryan summarized Henry’s prior thoughts on the technology:
“It’s tremendously successful in what it does.“
This confirms what many early adopters are finding: AI can enhance situational awareness while still relying on human judgment for final decisions.
Human Oversight is Still Important
A common question from organizations looking at AI is how much of the process is automated. Henry answered that directly in his interview. In the deployment that he reviewed:
- Trained specialists reviewed every alert
- About 96% of alerts were dismissed immediately after human review
- Dismissed Alerts include: ROTC, Resource Officers, Police Officers, Props for Plays, Senior Assassin Games
- Only relevant alerts reached on-site safety teams
- Enabling a small staff to monitor potential threats across 1000s of live cameras
- Local officials were responsible for all decisions
Henry summed it up:
“Omnilert did its job.”
This balance between fast AI detection and human oversight is emerging as a best practice, and early adopters are willing to share it with others.
Designed to Support, Not Disrupt, Daily Life
Another question many organizations have is whether new technology will disrupt business as usual. Henry found the system was seamless in daily school life. As he said,
“Most of the students and staff don’t even know it’s there.”
Because the technology uses existing camera feeds and works in the background, it requires:
- no lines,
- no checkpoints,
- no workflow interruptions.
This non-intrusive approach is why multiple industries are finding it easy to adopt AI-powered safety tools without impacting productivity or creating barriers to movement.
Consistency Across Multiple Deployments
While Henry’s interview was about one large deployment, he also mentioned that other districts are using the same technology. Harford County and Charles County had similar experiences. This consistency is valuable for organizations to evaluate whether AI belongs in their safety mix. Early adopters are showing that these tools can work across different environments and operational structures.
Shared Learnings Build Stronger Best Practices
One of the best things about AI safety adoption is the growing community of organizations that are learning from each other. As schools and other industries use AI tools, they are comparing procedures, sharing insights, refining training, exchanging best practices and strengthening response workflows.
Henry’s review is a great example of how transparency and leadership help others understand how AI works in practice… and how to implement it responsibly.
Henry’s bottom line: the technology is an asset.
A Modern Tool for Today’s Safety Needs
AI technology is quickly becoming a part of safety strategies not only in schools but also in manufacturing facilities, data centers, utilities, casinos, banks, transportation hubs and corporate campuses. This broad adoption proves its flexibility and reinforces the value it brings to situations where early detection and quick decision-making matter.
For schools and organizations evaluating whether AI technology belongs in their safety approach, the insights shared by early adopters and the findings in Henry’s WBAL interview provide a real-world example of how AI can enhance security while keeping business as usual.
You can see the full interview below:
