From School Shootings to Stadium Safety: AI-Driven Screening Is the Next Layer of Physical Security
- Freddie Bolton
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
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 items from potential threats. The company says this makes full coverage possible without slowing the school day. At Lakewood Schools in New Jersey, administrators had previously screened only 15% of 1,100 students at morning entry. With the new system, every student is screened in real time and staff reassigned from security back to teaching.
In a written response CEO Peter Evans told Security Guys:
“Today’s escalating threat landscape, together with easy access to weapons in an environment of high social tensions, is catalyzing the need for organizations to adopt an alternative digitally-enabled approach to physical security technology.”
The company reports 53 new school opportunities in the past year, alongside deployments at Temple University and districts in Florida, Virginia, and Delaware. It is also positioning its technology for hospitals, stadiums, and workplaces—any environment where violence is no longer considered a remote risk.
Xtract One argues that screening will become part of standard building infrastructure, like fire alarms. That view is gaining traction: California passed a law last year requiring automated weapons detection in healthcare facilities. If more mandates follow, schools and public venues may be forced to replace metal detectors and bag checks with systems that promise both speed and scale.
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