Challenge:

⬡ Layering security across open, distributed campuses

⬡ Limited site visibility after operational hours

⬡ No dedicated SOC watching cameras 24/7

Solution:

⬡ AI-powered, 24/7 monitoring across campuses

⬡ Real-time alerts of after-hours activities that were rarely detected in the past

⬡ Automated gun detection technology

⬡ Ability to detect early threat behaviors and prevent escalation

Fortifying their security

In the heart of Silicon Valley, the security team at The Harker School diligently protects the community across their four campuses with a layered approach, from the first layer of security officers patrolling the perimeter, all the way to their door locking system.

However, five years before AI’s widespread popularity, The Harker School saw its potential as a tool to make their community even safer. They sought to add an extra, AI-powered layer of security that would monitor the cameras for threats and detect high-severity incidents, like a firearm on campus, to provide full site awareness.

Tor Warmdahl, Director of Security at The Harker School, knew from a previous role that human surveillance has its limitations. Even with dedicated staff watching the cameras, it’s nearly impossible to closely monitor every single activity on each camera feed and stay fully informed on all events.

The security team needed an AI solution to ensure continuous monitoring. Thus, positioning themselves at the cutting edge of security, The Harker School became early adopters of Ambient.ai’s AI-powered threat detection and real-time alerts.

Always-on AI brain

Ambient.ai enables the security team to monitor their campuses 24/7 and receive alerts all from their mobile devices. The system detects both early warning signs of incidents, such as loitering and a person falling, and high-severity threats, such as a person with a firearm.

Amidst the rise in school shootings in recent years, Ambient’s detection of guns and precursors of active shootings, along with the system’s critical context for improved situational awareness, further empowers The Harker School to protect their community and prevent any threats that arise from escalating to crises.

Uncovering activity after hours

With Ambient.ai’s continuous camera monitoring, The Harker School achieved comprehensive site awareness after hours, assuring the security team that any emerging activity would be promptly detected.

To ensure full site coverage, the team created a security profile that programs the Ambient system to look for specific threats after school and on weekends.

For instance, if anyone is in the trash area during non-operational hours, Ambient.ai sends an alert to security personnel so that they can quickly address the situation in real time.

Tor recalls instances where he’s resolved after-hours activity in record time thanks to Ambient.

He would receive an Ambient.ai alert and phone call of an individual exhibiting suspicious behavior on campus after hours, use the contextualized alert to give the police a description and location of the individual, drive over to the scene, and by the time Tor arrived, the individual would already be in police custody.

“That in itself was worth the price of admission.”

A proactive security operation

Now more than ever, safety and security are critical concerns for schools. However, for the vast majority of institutions, investing in round-the-clock guard services to patrol the premises or employing security operators to monitor cameras all day simply isn’t feasible.

But with The Harker School’s comprehensive approach and steadfast commitment to safety and security, Tor leads a proactive security operation 24/7, bolstered by Ambient.ai’s automated threat detection.

Ambient.ai acts as the security team’s AI-powered eyes. The system alerts them of threats so they can address incidents faster and prevent escalation, all in a non-intrusive manner without any facial recognition.

As an added bonus, Tor has been able to use Ambient’s analytics and full site awareness to present a compelling case for additional security personnel and resources, such as overnight staff, during budget reviews.

With Ambient continuously monitoring the cameras, the security team feels even more confident in their ability to effectively safeguard The Harker School and promote a welcoming, safe place to learn.