New System Could Scan Students For Weapons
Tue May 6, 6:55 PM ET
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20030506/lo_wgal/1606716

Developers at View Systems Inc. in Baltimore said they own the patent and life-long development rights to a machine that could prevent weapons from ever getting in school walls.

“I think with proper application of this system, many incidents, like Red Lion, could be prevented and can be prevented in the future,” said Gunther Than, of View Systems.

It’s called a concealed weapons detection system. It is one of a kind and its developers said it could prevent many cases of school violence.

While it looks similar to an ordinary metal detector, it’s really quite different.

Dave Johansen is the training manager for the system. He said it not only detects hidden weapons, it also shows the screener exactly where they’re hidden.

The system detects metal objects, then matches them up with pre-determined footprints of size, shape, and density. The computer knows the difference between the footprint of gun and the footprint of set of keys.

“We don’t have to detect things like jewelry, car keys, or nuisance items that call false positives on old legacy-type machines,” Johansen said.

Yet, developers said the system is sensitive enough to detect objects in 1/20 of a second, no matter where they’re hidden.

“Say you’re hiding something as small, a razor blade in the cuff of your pants. We can pick it up and show you exactly where it is. I’ve done tests where I’ve encased things in wood with successful results every single time,” Johansen said.

The system eliminates the need for students or parents in a school situation to put their book bags on a secondary system. All people have to do is walk through, and the system sees what’s inside.

It’s not always perfect. When News 8′s Anne Shannon walked through, the system hit on the microphone receiver at her waist, and at one point it missed the box cutter she had hidden in her shoe.

So far, the concealed weapons detection system has only been tested in New York City schools.

They cost about $25,000 a piece, more than double what a school would pay for a metal detector. The concealed weapons detection systems are already in place in a number of courthouses and federal buildings.

On average, the system picks up more than 100 weapons each day.