In the wake of a series of hoax threat calls that unsettled West Virginia communities in December 2022, Rank One Computing (ROC) is spearheading a pivotal shift in school safety measures. Leveraging cutting-edge facial recognition technology, the company aims to foster safer educational environments in West Virginia schools.
Scott Swann, CEO of ROC and a proud West Virginia native, is at the helm of this groundbreaking initiative. Under his leadership, the company developed a multimodal technology solution that integrates seamlessly with existing camera systems on school properties, a strategic move that not only enhances security but also significantly reduces startup costs.
Swann explained the operational dynamics of the technology, highlighting its capacity to promptly alert school resource officers or emergency services if it detects a potential threat on campus.
“The idea is to create some sort of alert and send that to the school resource officer or even to the emergency services, if need be, that someone there may be a gunman on the campus of one of our local schools,” Swann explained.
Addressing concerns about data privacy, Swann assured that the technology is designed to work with the data already collected by the school system, with all facial recognition information securely stored on individual school networks. This approach not only safeguards student privacy but also leverages existing resources to enhance safety measures efficiently.
As ROC continues to work hand in hand with state and law enforcement agencies, the company is also developing a screening tool to identify criminals, including registered sex offenders, further amplifying the protective shield around school environments.
This initiative marks a significant achievement in the ROC journey, reflecting its commitment to repurposing technology originally designed for military and law enforcement applications to serve the community in new, meaningful ways.
As schools in Marion, Taylor, Doddridge, and Putnam counties gear up to install the technology, the broader community waits with bated breath, hopeful that this innovative solution will herald a new era of safety and security in West Virginia schools.