Connect with us

Utah

Utah Schools Can Now Apply For AI Gun Detection — Chrony

Published

on

Utah Schools Can Now Apply For AI Gun Detection — Chrony


 

The Utah State Board of Education has sent grant applications for artificial intelligence gun detection to K-12 schools throughout the state. 

Rhett Larsen, Utah State Board of Education school safety specialist, said the grant funding will last until June 2025. School districts interested in continuing the program will work with local policymakers to secure financing.

“This is just an opportunity,” Larsen said. “This is not a requirement in our state. It’s for those [schools] who want to give it a try and see if this is something that works for them … and see if it’s something they wish to continue.” 

Advertisement

In December, the Utah State Board of Education approved a $3 million contract with AEGIX Global, a Utah tech company specializing in emergency response safety, to distribute an AI gun detection software developed by ZeroEyes.

Larsen said ZeroEyes’ AI technology will lay over a school’s existing video surveillance cameras. Once the AI picks up on a potential firearm, the picture is sent to a centralized location, where the results are verified. Once confirmed, ZeroEyes partners with AEGIX to inform local police departments of the situation.

“We applaud Utah’s increased focus on school safety and security measures, and are proud to present ZeroEyes as part of a Comprehensive Incident Response Framework to help protect students and faculty across the state,” Chet Linton, CEO of AEGIX, said in a statement.

According to ZeroEyes, the positive identification of weapons is sent to local law enforcement and school administrators within three to five seconds. Larsen added that ZeroEyes’ centralized location is staffed around the clock with military veterans and people who work in law enforcement.

Larsen said there will be two web seminars with AEGIX for schools interested in learning more about the technology and answering any questions.

Advertisement

The grants cover up to four cameras per school, Larsen added, and applications for the grant are open to all schools in Utah. Some requirements for schools to install the software include a stable internet connection and having cameras already in place. 

Kieran Carroll, ZeroEyes’ chief strategy officer, said the company’s AI gun detection technology will likely be installed in schools by the summer of 2024. Carroll added the $3 million allocated by the state legislature would cover only a portion of the starting funds.

“The $3M is designed to cover a small amount of initial licenses per school. If the implementation is successful, the legislature will consider additional expansion funds,” Carroll said in an email interview.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, school camera footage is considered educational records, so ZeroEyes must comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which prevents schools receiving government funds from releasing student information without the student’s or their parent’s consent in most circumstances.

Civil rights groups have raised privacy concerns with firearm detection software. The American Civil Liberties Union’s senior policy analyst, Jay Stanley, wrote about the potential range of applications for AI gun detection data.

Advertisement

“Because gun detection analytics acts as an add-on to existing cameras, it’s not as if the cameras involved will only be used to look for guns. They can simultaneously be used for the full range of surveillance uses, including face recognition, forensic search, and even marketing and ‘business intelligence,’” Stanley wrote in an opinion column.

According to the company’s website, ZeroEyes says it complies with FERPA and never stores or monetizes personally identifiable information.

The Utah State Board of Education’s contract with AEGIX Global requires data to only be publicly released in aggregate and redacted form, so individual students cannot be identified. The contract further stipulates that data cannot be released for secondary purposes like advertising. 

“This technology is not facial recognition. It’s not a live recording. It literally takes snapshots every so often within the timing of the cameras,” Larsen said. 

The $3 million contract is part of a larger school safety bill which allocated $75 million to schools in total. Larsen said the $72 million basic school safety has been allotted through a grant process, and schools have until the end of 2026 to use the funds.

Advertisement

“It’s been awesome to be able to … be part of that process and see this funding go to … increasing those basic safety and security needs throughout the state,” he said. “Especially in areas where they might not have the mechanism to get the funding for those types of items, and so it’s exciting that opportunity has been granted [to] them.”

 

[email protected]

@GiovanniRadtke

Advertisement





Source link

Utah

Man arrested in Wyoming wanted for rape, domestic violence in Utah

Published

on

Man arrested in Wyoming wanted for rape, domestic violence in Utah


A man wanted for alleged rape and domestic violence in Utah was arrested in Wyoming.

He is “behind bars thanks to the work of eagle-eyed troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol,” WHP said on social media.

Troopers were alerted to a Be On The Look Out (BOLO) call at approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday for a suspect in a white Chrysler Seabreeze.

MORE | Crime

Troopers in Rawlins, Wyoming, spotted the vehicle just after 8:30 a.m.

Advertisement

The suspect was arrested without incident and transported to the Carbon County Jail.

Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

_____



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

Hill AFB ends Starbase program that sparked STEM interest among Utah students

Published

on

Hill AFB ends Starbase program that sparked STEM interest among Utah students


CLEARFIELD — A program empowering northern Utah children to discover the possibilities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will end after more than a decade of operation.

This week, Hill Air Force Base announced that it is ending its sponsorship of the Starbase program.

Starbase, a U.S. Department of Defense program, is offered throughout the country to provide hands-on learning experiences to young students — primarily fifth graders, according to a description on the curriculum’s website.

Starbase at Hill Air Force Base opened in 2011, and over the past 15 years, has ignited early STEM interest in more than 25,000 students in Davis and Weber counties.

Advertisement

Heather Ingle, a mother of two daughters — 14 and 11 — who have been in the program, said she was sad to hear that Starbase will no longer be offered at the northern Utah base.

“Just the thought of other kids not being able to have that guaranteed program, I think it’s sad,” she said.

Ingle’s oldest daughter participated in the weeklong Starbase program in Montana while their family was stationed in the Great Falls area. More recently, her 11-year-old daughter participated in it at Hill Air Force Base while the family has been stationed in Utah.

She said her 14-year-old was “strongly influenced” through the exploration of hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics experience and has shifted her career goals around based on what she learned.

Her younger daughter, on the other hand, wasn’t initially as interested in it.

Advertisement

“And then the first day happened, she came home and she loved it, and totally denied that she didn’t want to go that day,” Ingle told KSL. “She really enjoyed it — she likes to learn new things.”

A Hill Air Force Base press release issued Tuesday didn’t go into specifics about why they’re concluding the program, but it did allude to a funding issue.

“Today, northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success. This expansion, combined with changes in national program funding, marks a natural moment for transition. Concluding the program allows Hill AFB to realign resources to meet the growing demands of its core national security mission, confident that the community is well supported by a diverse and vibrant STEM landscape,” the base said.

Starbase’s final days at Hill Air Force Base raised a question for Ingle regarding the program’s future elsewhere, as their family will soon be relocating back to Montana and hopes their youngest child has an opportunity to experience it.

“I have a 5-year-old as well, and I really am hoping that the Starbase program in general continues,” she said.

Advertisement

A spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base said the program there will finish out the remainder of the school year and that it’s still active “at some other bases currently.”


Northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success.

–Hill Air Force Base


The base said it’s thankful to the many people who helped make Starbase a cornerstone in local STEM education.

“The base remains deeply committed to community partnership and will continue supporting educational outreach that inspires the next generation of innovators, leaders and problem‑solvers,” the base said.

For Ingle, she’s grateful for the opportunities her daughters have had at Starbase and for how it showed them a career they, too, can one day pursue.

Advertisement

“Outside of the doctor, lawyer, cop, firefighter — you know, it opens their eyes into so many different careers and specialties out there that you can touch, and I love that exposure,” she said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



Source link

Continue Reading

Utah

Special Olympics torch run reaches Utah Capitol – KSLNewsRadio

Published

on

Special Olympics torch run reaches Utah Capitol – KSLNewsRadio


SALT LAKE CITY — The “Flame of Hope” made its way to the Utah State Capitol Wednesday morning as Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement came together for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The event is part of a 45-year tradition that raises awareness and support for Special Olympics athletes while strengthening the partnership between law enforcement and the community.

Paralympians ski in shorts and T-shirts, and some ask: Shouldn’t these Games be earlier?

“Law enforcement across the country teams up with Special Olympics chapters throughout the country and we do a torch run which is a fundraiser,” said Bill Newell, Law Enforcement Torch Run Council Chairman.

Organizers say the goal goes beyond fundraising — it’s about visibility and recognition for athletes across Utah.

Advertisement

“We want them to be recognized. We want the community to see these athletes and what tremendous people they are and what great contributions they make,” Newell said.

For athletes, the Torch Run is also a chance to be seen and celebrated for their accomplishments.

“I would like to thank the First Lady, Commissioner Mason, Chief Reed, Special Olympics Utah and everyone who joined us today. Thank you for being here. Because of you, athletes like me are seen, heard and celebrated,” said Special Olympics athlete Josh Roberts.

The Torch Run will continue across Utah throughout the month, leading up to the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games in Cedar City on May 28.

“Join us in Cedar City for the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games. Come cheer, come celebrate and be a part of something very special. It’ll be the best thing you’ll do all summer,” Roberts said.

Advertisement

Law enforcement agencies across the state will continue participating alongside Special Olympics athletes as the Torch Run moves from community to community ahead of the final leg in Cedar City.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.




Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending