LANSING, Mich. — When the Michigan State Capitol Commission banned the open carry of firearms in 2023, those in charge of security looked for ways to make sure the rules were enforced.
Robert Blackshaw, executive director of the Michigan State Capitol Commission, said this is what led to the installation of the ZeroEyes AI gun detection software.
"ZeroEyes will detect if a weapon is brandished, or if a weapon is seen through our camera systems, which will then send immediate alerts to all of our enforcement team, which is the Michigan State Police, the House and the Senate sergeants, and then our whole team can act very quickly."
The AI is trained to detect unholstered, or brandished, firearms. If one is detected, an alert is sent to one of the company's control centers.
Then, according to vice president of sales Bryan St. Bernard, it will take around three to five seconds for a trained operator to verify the threat and send alerts to law enforcement and security officials.
The firearm in question is highlighted by a box for officials to further investigate.
"We've learned from our research in the vast majority of mass shootings, the gun is brandished for a period of time the four shots are ever fired. So the faster you're able to identify that threat, the faster you can respond accordingly," said St. Bernard.
"We want to make sure that the parents and our staff and everyone in here knows that this is a safe place to come," said Blackshaw. "We don't like thinking that we have to put in security systems. We wish it was like the way it was in the old days, where you could just come in, but we know that's not a reality any longer."
Both St. Bernard and Blackshaw said this is only one layer of security on top of the many others the capitol building employs to keep the inside of the building firearm-free.
St. Bernard said their software is used in 44 states in schools, corporate buildings and military bases.