top of page
Latest News
In the Field With Policing Tech: Two Systems That Actually Changed the Job
I’ve seen plenty of flashy demos in my career—slick PowerPoints about “next-gen policing” that never make it past the pilot phase. But every so often, you run into tech that actually shifts the ground under your feet. Two deployments I watched up close prove how different the outcomes can be when the tools work and when leadership backs them up. Case 1: License Plates That Talk Back A few years ago, I was working with a neighbourhood security committee in Fort Worth when they
Freddie Bolton
a few seconds ago2 min read
Opinion: Why Security Pros Can’t Afford to Wait on AI Weapons Detection
Physical security has always been about deterrence, not convenience. But walk through any busy mall, stadium, or transit hub today, and you’ll see what happens when the industry drags its feet: overwhelmed guards, half-functional cameras, and a public that knows the system won’t catch much more than petty theft. The pressure is obvious. Guns are showing up in places they shouldn’t, knives slip past bag checks, and security leaders are stuck explaining to boards why the “layer
Paul Epstein
a few seconds ago1 min read
San Francisco festival deployment puts AI weapons screening claims to the test
At San Francisco’s free Stern Grove Festival, Evolv Technology’s installation of its Express scanners is being pitched as a way to speed entry without weakening screening, a summer-season trigger that matters to the people who buy and operate weapon detection systems because crowd volume, bags and picnic gear create the worst-case mix for false alerts and missed knives. Why this deployment matters now Free, open-air festivals concentrate risk: variable ingress points, patrons
Paula Vettori
a few seconds ago3 min read
Surveillance & CCTV
Axon Expands Into ALPR and AI, But Questions Remain
Axon, once best known for introducing the Taser to police forces in the 1990s, has steadily rebranded itself as a broader public-safety technology company. The name change in 2017 signaled a pivot: moving away from being defined by a single controversial weapon and toward building what it calls a connected ecosystem of body cameras, evidence management systems, and now artificial intelligence. In its latest announcement, the company unveiled fixed automatic license plate reco
Ellie Goldman
a few seconds ago2 min read
UK Supermarket Iceland Trials Facial Recognition to Combat Retail Crime
UK supermarket chain Iceland has begun piloting facial-recognition technology in two stores as part of a wider crackdown on theft and violent incidents. The rollout, first reported in trade outlets, uses systems from British vendor Facewatch to identify repeat offenders at the point of entry. The trial is underway at stores in Bradford and Salford , with plans to expand to six locations by October 2025. Under the system, faces of shoppers are scanned and compared against a
Ellie Goldman
2 days ago2 min read
Facial Recognition Breakthrough: How Greenwich Police Caught a SIM-Swap Scammer
In Connecticut, a SIM-swap fraud case took a surprising turn—thanks to facial recognition tech. Victims often never see their stolen banking funds again, especially when fraudsters hit multiple states. But in this instance, technology helped close the loop. Late last year, a resident in Greenwich was locked out of her bank account after a SIM swap—a type of scam where the perpetrator hijacks your phone number to reset passwords and drain funds. Over $37,000 vanished in Housto
Freddie Bolton
3 days ago2 min read
Airport & Border Control
Paul Epstein
2 days ago
Paula Vettori
6 days ago
Sarah o'Neill
Jan 27
Emergency & Disaster Response
From School Shootings to Stadium Safety: AI-Driven Screening Is the Next Layer of Physical Security
The new school year in the United States has opened with grim numbers: 47 shootings on K–12 grounds so far in 2025. That reality is driving districts to look for security measures that move faster than traditional checkpoints but avoid turning campuses into fortress-like spaces. Toronto-based Xtract One is one of the firms stepping into that demand. Its screening systems are designed to let students walk through carrying laptops and backpacks while software sorts routine item
Freddie Bolton
2 days ago2 min read
Minneapolis School Shooting Highlights Critical Role of Tactical Maps for First Responders
The Minneapolis tragedy has once again pushed parents and educators to confront the ongoing crisis of school safety in America. During morning Mass, a 23-year-old gunman opened fire, killing two children and wounding more than 20 others before taking their own life. While many schools now look to sensors, cameras, and monitoring systems to detect threats, another piece of the puzzle is ensuring first responders have the right information the moment they arrive. Delays in loca
Sarah o'Neill
Jan 282 min read
K-12 Security Still Struggles With Fragmentation Despite New ANSI Standard
Schools in the United States face the same challenge year after year: how to keep campuses safe without turning them into fortresses. From physical access controls to behavioral threat assessments, districts are juggling budget gaps, political scrutiny, and community pushback over the right mix of measures. Into this landscape, ASIS International has released a new ANSI-approved school security standard, billed as the first comprehensive framework for K-12 in the U.S. The sta
Paula Vettori
Jan 282 min read
Policing Tech
In the Field With Policing Tech: Two Systems That Actually Changed the Job
I’ve seen plenty of flashy demos in my career—slick PowerPoints about “next-gen policing” that never make it past the pilot phase. But every so often, you run into tech that actually shifts the ground under your feet. Two deployments I watched up close prove how different the outcomes can be when the tools work and when leadership backs them up. Case 1: License Plates That Talk Back A few years ago, I was working with a neighbourhood security committee in Fort Worth when they
Freddie Bolton
a few seconds ago2 min read
A Night with Drones and Digital Footprints: Two Policing Tech Stories That Hit Home
We've all seen the slick demos—hovering drones, predictive analytics, AI dashboards. But until you've watched one of those drones skip traffic jams and land a suspect in under two minutes, it’s all theory. I’ve seen two recent real-world deployments that remind security pros why relevance trumps hype. 1. The Drone That Lights the Way—Laredo, Texas In Laredo, I rode along as the local PD dispatched a BRINC drone before officers even draped on their jackets. Within 30–60 second
Freddie Bolton
6 days ago2 min read
Amnesty Gets It Wrong: Why NYPD’s Facial Recognition Network Is a Lifeline, Not a Threat
Amnesty International’s latest campaign against the NYPD claims that 15,280 facial-recognition cameras have turned New York into an “Orwellian city of surveillance.” The charge makes for catchy headlines—but it ignores the operational realities of policing one of the most complex, high-risk cities in the world. Facial-recognition cameras aren’t political props. They are tools. They help investigators cut hours off suspect identification, track organized retail theft rings, an
Paul Epstein
Nov 5, 20251 min read
HLS
Homeland Tech in Focus: Cell Towers, AI and Smart 911 Response
A fresh alarm has rung through U.S. government ranks: nearly two dozen FEMA IT personnel—including top CISOs—have been fired following a massive cybersecurity breach. The action was taken by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who blamed a failure to deploy basic safeguards like multifactor authentication. This stark reminder of systemic vulnerability throws homeland security tech providers into sharp relief—who they are, what they guard, and how they’re shaping resilience at the nati
Ellie Goldman
3 days ago2 min read
Homeland Alert: Israeli Tech at the Frontline of Security
The fallout from Israel’s recent use of AI-driven targeting in Gaza is still rippling through the security world. Supporters argue it proved the power of automation to deliver faster, more precise strikes. Critics counter that machines should never play a role in life-and-death decisions. Either way, the debate has pushed homeland security technology back into the spotlight, raising questions about how far governments should lean on emerging tools to manage threats. For Israe
Sarah o'Neill
Jan 152 min read
Who’s Hired and Who’s Fired: Key Global Moves in Security Leadership
From state governments to enterprise SaaS, the past two weeks brought notable security leadership changes. Organizations under pressure from rising cyber risks, AI-driven threats, and regulatory demands are reshaping executive ranks to strengthen resilience and compliance. Delaware – Aashish Patel, Chief Security Officer Patel is now the permanent CSO for the State of Delaware after serving in an interim capacity. He will direct statewide security policy, disaster recovery, a
Sarah o'Neill
Nov 2, 20251 min read
Opinion: Why Security Pros Can’t Afford to Wait on AI Weapons Detection
Physical security has always been about deterrence, not convenience. But walk through any busy mall, stadium, or transit hub today, and you’ll see what happens when the industry drags its feet: overwhelmed guards, half-functional cameras, and a public that knows the system won’t catch much more than petty theft. The pressure is obvious. Guns are showing up in places they shouldn’t, knives slip past bag checks, and security leaders are stuck explaining to boards why the “layer
Paul Epstein
a few seconds ago1 min read
San Francisco festival deployment puts AI weapons screening claims to the test
At San Francisco’s free Stern Grove Festival, Evolv Technology’s installation of its Express scanners is being pitched as a way to speed entry without weakening screening, a summer-season trigger that matters to the people who buy and operate weapon detection systems because crowd volume, bags and picnic gear create the worst-case mix for false alerts and missed knives. Why this deployment matters now Free, open-air festivals concentrate risk: variable ingress points, patrons
Paula Vettori
a few seconds ago3 min read
After a $2.6M follow-on, AI weapon screening faces a megavenue stress test
In a follow-on contract announced August 14, 2025, Xtract One Technologies said it will expand its SmartGateway deployment at a major international entertainment venue, putting knife-detection accuracy and crowd throughput under a microscope for security teams running high-volume ingress. The trigger matters because this isn’t a demo; it’s a live test at scale where miss risk and nuisance alerts translate directly into liability and crowd control. What the company says “Worki
Sarah o'Neill
12 hours ago3 min read
bottom of page