School committee approves nearly $700,000 for Evolv Express weapon detectors at New Bedford High School

NEW BEDFORD — The School Committee has approved transfers of nearly $700,000 to purchase weapon detectors at New Bedford High School. The new Evolv gun detectors — advanced metal detectors powered by artificial intelligence — could be operational at the high school this fall, according to committee members.

Members of the public decried the purchase earlier in the meeting, and tense discussions ensued among committee members. Ultimately, the transfers were approved by a vote of five to two (committee members Melissa Costa and Colleen Dawicki voted against approval), meaning funds will be redirected to the school safety measure from the unspent salaries of paraprofessionals and special education teachers.

“We are now in a society where bad things happen in public places. This is the reality we face,” Mayor Mitchell said in his comments supporting the purchase. “If anything, we are behind in implementing these types of security measures,” he said, noting that schools in Fall River and Taunton already use these systems.

Among those who made public comments were a teacher, a paraeducator and a student, all opposed to the system. Student Fredricka Freire said gun detectors could send a message to students: “It contributes to a climate of fear and anxiety and sends the message that we are criminals and not children,” she said. -she declared.

Others noted in their comments that Evolv is currently the subject of multiple investigations, lawsuits, and investigative reporting that call its effectiveness into question.

A BBC investigation found that Evolv machines failed to detect large knives 42% of the time, according to a private report that the company has not shared with its customers. Just a few months later, the BBC reported that a New York State student had been stabbed multiple times after a multimillion-dollar Evolv system failed to detect a knife.

The company is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for “exaggerating the capabilities of its products in its marketing materials,” according to Security Systems News, a trade publication. Last month, the Boston Globe reported that the company's shareholders had filed a class-action lawsuit alleging “false and misleading statements” about the technology's capabilities.

Superintendent Andrew O'Leary dismissed those concerns, saying “the proof of concept is clear at Durfee and Taunton high schools,” indicating he had traveled to observe those systems, but did not provide details.

Mayor Mitchell pointed out that his children attended high school and O'Leary's children still do. “My three daughters, none of them ever felt unsafe at New Bedford High School,” Mitchell said, adding that O'Leary “also has her own children at New Bedford High, so I know that 'He does not come to this recommendation lightly.'

The two New Bedford High students who commented at the meeting, Freire and Elliott Talley, the student representative to the school committee, said other, more fundamental initiatives could be prioritized over a detection system weapons, such as behavioral interventions or therapy dog ​​sessions.

Talley also said the rushed end-of-year process was not appropriate for an investment of this type: “I don't look at things like gun detectors as something we do during spending cuts.” I see this as something we would talk about over the course of the year.

The Light previously reported on quiet investments in security the school committee has made this year, including a $35,000 expenditure to study the possible implementation of these weapon detectors.

These weapon detectors and advanced security cameras powered by artificial intelligence (AI) were purchased during the end-of-year “reduction” process, when the school committee re-designates additional funds to ensure that nothing is left on the table. It is very common for extra money from salaries – a large and difficult to predict category – to be transferred to other pots at the end of the year.

But the hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in advanced school security technologies have happened quickly and behind the scenes. After the $400,000 order for security cameras appeared in a transfer request without any warning from administrators, School Committee member Dawicki told The Light that it “made me wonder about why we do things this way and are there ways to get ahead of these questions. .”

Dawicki said she intends to talk with O'Leary about creating priorities so that year-end surplus funds are routed according to a plan, “so that these issues are not raised at a late stage Game”.

But the demand for a weapons detection system also came without much public participation. In March, a presentation was made to school committee members during the school committee executive session. (Executive sessions are closed-door sessions used to negotiate union contracts, discuss district strategy and other matters.) And even in this more cloistered setting, many details of the proposed system and its cost have not been discussed. not been shared with members of the school committee, according to committee sources.

This month, the expense for the purchase also appeared on the list of requested cash transfers without notice, according to school committee members.

The district declined to answer numerous questions from The Light regarding these security purchases.

When asked why the district spent $400,000 on an advanced security camera system featuring facial recognition, AI-powered tracking and surveillance, the district spokesperson , Arthur Motta, responded: “Although the system is cloud-based, we do not deploy any add-ons. — refusing to say the district would use any of the AI ​​systems it paid for. Motta declined to make officials available for a follow-up interview.

But the newly approved Evolv system will likely run AI programs through those same cameras, as the company's website says its product “adds another layer of security by leveraging AI on your security cameras to identify brandished firearms.” Other uses of Evolv's AI are for “powerful analytics and automated reporting” that uses “advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence to distinguish between weapons and everyday objects.”

School Committee members Bruce Oliveira, Ross Grace Jr., Joaquim “Jack” Livramiento and Christopher Cotter all voted to approve the purchase of the weapon detectors. Only Cotter made comments to explain his support during the meeting.

“We are facing violence on our streets, with guns and knives. It’s not a secret,” Cotter said. “There is no price for the safety or security of our children, and I will never vote no on a safety issue.”

Addressing some concerns about the system's effectiveness, Cotter said, “I prefer to say we tried rather than made a mistake” in not purchasing the system.

Grace Jr. provided comment by phone: “Unfortunately, the narrative is that high school is sometimes not safe,” he said. “I can see some of the concerns about [the system]but it is part of a comprehensive approach to student and staff safety that reflects today's society.

Email Colin Hogan at [email protected]