WINDSOR, Ontario, Canada – Over the past year, about 3,155 threats have been detected at Windsor Regional Hospital by weapons detection technology using artificial intelligence (AI).
Of those threats, 1,834 were knives, reports AM800.
The system that detected the threats was from Evolv, and Windsor Regional Hospital was the first healthcare facility in Canada to use the company’s weapons detection system, reports CTV News. The system was deployed on October 19, 2023 in the emergency departments on two campuses: Met and Ouellette.
The Evolv system uses sensors and AI to detect concealed weapons as well as other threat objects. The technology can tell the difference between a weapon and other type of item that doesn’t pose a threat, such as pocket change or a cell phone. The system screens people quickly and is designed to not impede patient, staff, and visitor foot traffic.
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U.S. Hospitals Also Using More Weapons Detection Technology
Due to the high rate of workplace violence at medical centers, hospitals in the U.S. are also increasing their deployment of weapons screening technology.
In Berlin, Vt., Central Vermont Medical Center recently added metal detectors to its emergency department entrance. In Nashville, Tenn., Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt installed weapons screening devices at key hospital entrances, including the entrance to the emergency department.
Related Article: 2024 Weapons, Metal and Gunshot Detection Deep Dive
In Philadelphia, Penn Medicine, which includes the University of Pennsylvania Health System, spent more than $28 million last spring to install Evolv weapons detection systems at entrances to its hospitals and outpatient facilities.
Campus Safety’s 2024 survey on weapons screening found that six in ten hospitals that participated in the study deploy weapons detectors in their emergency departments.
