Several schools across the United States plan to deploy pepper-spraying drones as a tactical response system to active shooter incidents. Campus Guardian Angel, an Austin-based company, is providing the aircraft to institutions including at least four schools in Georgia, three in Florida, and one in Colorado.
The system operates through a remote response team that monitors alerts indicating an attack and verifies credible threats before launching the drones. Once deployed, the aircraft can be controlled from thousands of miles away and include two-way communication capabilities. The response team can issue verbal instructions to law enforcement or school staff, directing officers to suspects or coordinating room-clearing operations. Each drone can stay aloft for approximately eight minutes per battery charge and operates on a 900 MHz frequency.
The drones are equipped with multiple tactical features designed to engage an active shooter. They can penetrate non-ballistic window coverings using a front lance, produce loud noises through integrated sirens and air poppers, and fire pepper balls at a target. The system can also deliver kinetic strikes intended to disable or incapacitate an attacker. The company strategy involves deploying multiple drones in waves to maintain pressure on a threat until law enforcement can apprehend the individual.
Company leadership drew inspiration for the system from military drone applications during the conflict in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Bill King, the co-founder and former Navy SEAL senior enlisted leader with 32 years of experience, and tactical operations director Khristof Oborski, a former Austin police SWAT leader, developed the concept based on battlefield observations.
Georgia allocated $550,000 in annual budget funds to support the program at Coffee County High School, Gainesville High School, River Ridge High School, and Statesboro High School. Florida schools including Deltona High School, Amos P Godby High School, and Boyd H Anderson High School are preparing implementations. Colorado’s John Adams Academy is also adopting the technology. However, advocates focused on prevention rather than response, including parents affected by previous school shootings, have questioned whether the drone deployment represents an appropriate priority compared to preventive measures.
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