As incidents of violence in public and educational spaces climb, administrators are under pressure to deploy advanced technologies capable of detecting weapons before tragedy strikes. Traditional metal detectors and manual searches are proving insufficient. In response, several U.S. school districts are piloting AI-based weapon-detection systems that analyze video feeds and sensor data to identify threats—and notify authorities—within seconds. One such example is unfolding in

Suffolk Constabulary has doubled down on live facial recognition (LFR) deployments, testing the surveillance technology in both Ipswich and Lowestoft this year. The trials, supported by equipment borrowed from Essex Police, led to eight arrests across the two towns but also sparked ongoing debate about privacy, compliance, and public accountability. In Ipswich, cameras set up at the Cornhill scanned roughly 47,000 faces in six hours, identifying suspects wanted for shop theft

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

Across schools, healthcare facilities, public venues, colleges & universities and more, security leaders are asking a similar question: not whether to strengthen screening, but how to do it without disrupting operations or public trust. The market signals are clear. Demand for advanced detection technology is rising, yet procurement decisions are becoming more disciplined. Buyers are pressing vendors on measurable outcomes, screening optimization, total cost of ownership and

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

Security managers are increasingly questioning the limits of traditional fixed checkpoints. Recent incidents at schools, stadiums, and public meetings have underscored the vulnerabilities that appear during high-traffic transitions—morning arrival, dismissal, or pre-event surges—when static lanes create bottlenecks or miss risks altogether. In a written reply to Security Guys, Luca Cacioli, CEO of CEIA USA , said the demand is being driven by three forces: simplicity, mobilit

Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s announcement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deploy advanced scanning equipment at the Laredo Rail Port of Entry is being framed as a breakthrough for secure trade. The company is providing a Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System Integrated Rail 6500 and a radiation portal monitor, technology meant to penetrate even dense shielding in railcars. CBP officials describe it as a way to facilitate lawful trade and travel, but the move raises

Rising geopolitical fragmentation, persistent inflationary pressure, and continued volatility in global trade lanes are reshaping risk exposure across supply chains. High-value goods - particularly electronics, pharmaceuticals, and branded consumer products - are moving through longer, more complex networks, often with multiple handoffs across carriers, brokers, and facilities. At the same time, organized criminal networks are adapting, leveraging digital access, identity spo

ISC West returns this week to Las Vegas as the security industry’s largest annual gathering, bringing together technology vendors, integrators, and enterprise buyers across physical security, identity management, and converged cyber-physical systems. As in previous years, the event serves as a primary launch platform for new products and architectural approaches, while also reflecting broader shifts in how organizations design, deploy, and operate security infrastructure. Thi

The IoT Security Gap at the Edge, and Why Physical Tamper Evidence Matters In critical infrastructure, logistics yards, and distributed supply chains, the most dangerous IoT security weakness is often not a cloud breach. It is a blind spot at the edge, where an asset, gate, cabinet, cage, or container is opened, moved, or tampered with before anyone can verify what happened. That risk point is clear: delayed detection of unauthorized physical access. Many operators still rely

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

Violence in healthcare facilities is on the rise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies hospitals as having the highest rate of workplace violence, and the American Hospital Association estimates the annual cost of related incidents exceeds $18 billion. With California now requiring hospitals to install weapons detection systems by 2027, regulatory pressure is accelerating adoption. Athena Security is positioning itself as a beneficiary of that trend. Co-founder and CTO C

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

In a follow-on contract, 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 “Working together for two years

Following a multi-unit order at a U.S. international airport to meet TSA’s employee screening mandate, Liberty Defense’s HEXWAVE is headed into a test that matters to the people who buy and operate weapon detection systems: can it hold knife sensitivity at speed without swamping secondary screening or payroll. What changed and why now TSA’s rule requires 100% physical screening of secure-side employees, with U.S. airports expected to deploy appropriate screening technology by

Rising concern about violence at places of worship is changing how Americans attend religious services and accelerating security upgrades across faith-based institutions, according to new survey findings. Nearly half of regular worshippers say they feel less safe attending in-person services, highlighting an operational challenge for religious leaders seeking to balance openness with physical security. In response to a Security Guys News query, Verkada shared findings from ne

Homeland security agencies across Europe are accelerating the rollout of biometric screening systems as the EU prepares to implement its Entry/Exit System (EES) in 2026. Leading vendors Thales and Idemia are supplying facial-recognition e-gates now being installed at airports in Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany, part of a continent-wide effort to automate border checks. The systems capture a live facial image and cross-match it against passport and visa data, rep

With Windows 10 approaching end-of-life, organizations running legacy NVR and DVR systems face a practical dilemma: patch, replace, or redesign. Many centralized video environments still depend on Windows-based servers, creating mounting security and maintenance risks tied to aging infrastructure and manual patch cycles. In a written response to Security Guys , Abraham Alvarez, VP of Product at Verkada, said the transition is accelerating a broader architectural shift away fr

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

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