Multiple schools across the United States are adopting pepper-spraying drone technology as part of their response plans for active shooting incidents. Campus Guardian Angel, an Austin-based response capability company, is supplying the systems to at least eight schools across Georgia, Florida, and Colorado. The company manufactures both the aircraft and firmware for the drones.
The drones are designed to activate following an alert that a school is under attack, contingent upon the response team confirming the threat is genuine. Operating remotely from the company’s operations center, the systems can communicate two-way with individuals on site, including school staff and law enforcement. The drones can relay tactical guidance such as directing officers to suspect locations or coordinating room-clearing operations. Each unit has approximately eight minutes of flight time per battery charge and operates at 900 MHz frequencies.
The drones feature multiple operational capabilities intended to incapacitate or distract active shooters. These include pepper ball launchers, sirens, air poppers that produce loud noises, and mechanisms to break through windows. The company’s strategy involves deploying multiple drones in coordinated waves to keep a shooter occupied until law enforcement can make an arrest. Bill King, the company’s co-founder and former Navy SEAL senior enlisted leader with 32 years of experience, stated that once activated on a target, the drones prevent escape.
The technology was inspired by observing small drone effectiveness during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Georgia has allocated $550,000 in its budget to fund the program, with pilot locations including high schools in Douglas, Gainesville, Woodstock, and Statesboro. In Florida, three high schools are implementing the system, while John Adams Academy in Colorado is also preparing deployment.
Criticism of the approach exists among some stakeholders. Tony Montalto, whose daughter was killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting, expressed concerns that the reactive nature of the drones does not address prevention measures. Historical data indicates over 398,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since 1999.
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