JCPS sees drop in guns with new detection system but not all weapons being caught

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) has fully implemented a new weapons detection system across all middle and high schools, as part of an $18 million effort to improve school safety. The district says the investment is already making an impact — though not all weapons are being caught.

The system, developed by Evolv Technology, uses artificial intelligence to detect specific shapes and densities of metal, distinguishing it from traditional metal detectors.

“It looks for certain shapes, densities of metal — things of that nature,” said Dr. Katy DeFerrari, JCPS chief of staff. “Very different than a metal detection system, which clearly does what it says it is supposed to do.”

Each school now has between two to five scanning lanes at entrances. If a student is flagged by the system, administrators — not teachers or school resource officers — conduct the secondary screening.

DeFerrari said the technology helps the district focus on preventing gun violence, alongside other components of the district’s safety plan, including a violence prevention team and on-site mental health practitioners.

“The AI-supported equipment literally can localize and identify where and what it doesn’t like, and what is alarming the system on a person,” she explained.

According to JCPS, the number of guns found during school hours has dropped since the system was introduced. During the 2022–23 school year, 28 firearms were found in schools. Last year 10 were found and so far this school year, only four guns have been discovered - one on a bus and another in a car.

“No guns have been found past the detectors,” DeFerrari said.

However, knives have made it into buildings — something DeFerrari said was expected.

“The equipment was specifically purchased — and we knew when we bought it — that it will not pick up every knife,” she said. “And that wasn’t something we were buying it to do in the first place.”

While Evolv has faced scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission for potentially overstating its capabilities — including missing some weapons while falsely flagging harmless objects like laptops and binders — JCPS officials say their experience with the system has been largely positive.

“The equipment has done the two things it was contracted to do — deter students from bringing in a gun, and detecting those who do,” DeFerrari said. “Honestly, the kids have been great. Our visitors have been understanding. We have not had people refusing to do it. I think, in general, people appreciate the levels we are going to in order to keep our staff, students, and community safe.”

JCPS entered into a five-year lease for the detection system, which remains a key part of the district’s broader security strategy.

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