Safeguarding education with AI-driven Video Analytics at Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) in southwest Tennessee has found a forward-thinking answer to this question. Several years ago, their safety and security team began looking for a way to combine all security systems to respond to active incidents in real time. After a four-year process of brainstorming, designing, and planning the security concept together with experts from our team, the district began implementing a comprehensive security program in 2022 to significantly improve the safety of its schools using state-of-the-art technology. Several major challenges had to be overcome on the way to a holistic solution:

• The school district comprises over 180 school buildings, each with different requirements and many of them over 100 years old.
• There were already different technologies installed in one place that were not allowing interoperability.
• It was necessary to change the old mindset that security cameras are only used for video recording. They also need to be used as additional eyes that detect, predict, and notify in real-time.

One of the driving forces behind the MSCS safety concept is Jason Boyd, Director of Safety and Security Technology, who has been working with our team for over eight years. Since the beginning, Carlos Montesdeoca, Business Development Manager at Bosch, has been his contact and collaboration partner when it comes to the use of new technologies. Their first goal was to move the district from antiquated analog technology to a newly adopted IP video platform to create the foundation for an integrated security system.

The cameras were gradually replaced by models with Intelligent Video Analytics and installed according to the respective building situation. There are currently around 5,000 Bosch video cameras in use - the FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i – 6MP indoors and the MIC IP starlight 7100i – 8MP outdoors. The AI-driven cameras not only serve investigative purposes, but also enable real-time monitoring, alerting, and predicting actions as if there was a real person standing in its place.

The integration of Visual Gun Detection provides even more security. When someone brandishing a gun is detected on campus, the system is designed to promptly alert personnel who can verify the gun and take proactive measures.

Discover the next step: The Gun Detection System from Bosch, the first to pair video and audio AI to prioritize proactive security and safety involving guns at schools

Given the large number of cameras, quick installation and simple operation are essential. “The FLEXIDOME IP starlight 8000i cameras have a unique 3-step concept for simple installation. There is no need to detach the bubble or manually point the camera to the required field of view. Using Project Assistant and Remote Portal commissioning can also be done remotely, reducing installation time by up to 75%,“ explains Carlos Montesdeoca.

At the heart of the concept is a Real-Time Safety Center, which will be completed in 2024. This center makes it possible to monitor all incoming data for the entire district at one facility. There is a team working together that is dedicated to real-time monitoring, dispatching, and communicating with the district during possible incidents such as slip and fall, loitering, boundary crossing, gun detection, or unauthorized access.

Jason Boyd gives an example of this: “If someone opens one of the armed exterior doors to allow unauthorized entrance, we will get a real-time alert at the Real-Time Safety Center and will instantly know which door, who it was, where they came from, where they are going, and what they are wearing or carrying so we can quickly react accordingly and follow the appropriate procedure that MSCS Safety & Security has developed.”