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Over 400 mass shootings occurred in the United States in 2019, in addition to many more around the world. The targets vary – schools, synagogues, mosques, retail stores, workplaces – but all are selected for the large numbers of people they hold. As public safety becomes more of a question instead of a given, many tech companies have increased their focus on safety solutions, ranging from panic buttons to enhanced 911 response capabilities to gun detection.
After the 2019 shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, mosques around the world ramped up their security. In early 2020, US synagogues were advised to use armed security personnel.
5 tech companies making a difference
Unfortunately, we live in an uncertain world, and law enforcement has been unable to meet growing threats faced by communities, workplaces, schools, and others. Tech companies have mobilized to meet the demand for increased security. According to MarketsandMarkets, revenue in the field of public safety is expected to grow from $365 billion in 2020 to $516.5 billion in 2025. Organizations such as Bond , an app that lets users carry their own personal security agent in their pocket, are leading in this field. Bond gives a user access to a full suite of personal security services such as security agents, location services, and telemedicine.
Below are a number of additional companies making a difference:
Based in Israel, Gabriel offers a safety solution for synagogues. The company was founded in 2016 after two terrorists killed four people in a Tel Aviv restaurant. The solution is a hardware-software package that includes several panic buttons, each with a fisheye camera. It comes with a mobile app with an alert button. Community members can use it to send real-time updates, including escape routes or safe hiding places. Gabriel’s founders are currently seeking to expand their customer base beyond synagogues and have been reaching out to mosques, churches, schools, and nightclubs.
Founded in New York in 2004, Rave initially focused on higher education facilities. Today, it offers a safety platform, solutions, and products for police stations, fire departments, K-12 schools, small businesses, corporations, healthcare systems, and state and federal governments. Solutions are customized based on location. Rave’s products include:
● Rave 911 Suite for 911 teams with enhanced capabilities for responding to emergencies
● Rave Alert, enabling clients to send messages quickly and reliably
● Rave Panic Button, a mobile app that instantly lets 911 teams know of an emergency
Athena was founded in 2018 with the goal of using “AI to help prevent crime and provide critical insight into the events observed.” Since the advent of COVID-19, however, the company made a slight shift to offer related safety tools, including Temperature Detection and a Health Screening app.
There is still a market for its main safety product, Gun Detection, a system of cameras that can detect over 300 firearms in real-time. It can even detect motions commonly used in crimes. If a threat is detected, Athena sends a real-time video feed to a designated security team. The system can be used by schools, places of worship, businesses, stadiums and homes.
YUDU, essentially a digital publishing company, offers a crisis management platform for the financial, legal, entertainment, and engineering sectors. The platform is designed to speed up and improve crisis management response. It includes:
● Mass notification alerts
● Sharing documents
● Instant conference calls
● Communication via chat channels
● Action cards to remind staff what to do in an emergency
● A crisis hotline that can handle thousands of incoming calls
Owned by Motorola Solutions, Avigilon produces AI-powered security solutions designed to keep people and communities safe. Avigilon offers a comprehensive selection of products, including security cameras, video infrastructure, video management software, AI & video analytics, access control solutions, cloud services, and more. It is used in a wide range of industries, from government to retail to healthcare.
While it is impossible to predict the actions of ill-intentioned people, the sophisticated security solutions listed above are doing their best to address them proactively. Ultimately, no technology can provide a silver bullet solution. Security is most effectively administered through a suite of coordinated approaches, including the human element, cohesive planning, and technology.