New drone system promises to reach school shooters in 15 seconds
According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, in the last three years, the U.S has seen nearly 1,000 school shootings. A ten-fold increase over the previous decade of reported cases. A Texas-based project called the Campus Guardian Angel (CGA) is pitching drones as the answer, with a system designed to confront threats in as little as 15 seconds.
The setup places drone boxes around school campuses, each containing ready-to-launch drones capable of flying 30-50 mph indoors, and up to 100 mph outdoors. When a threat is detected, the nearest unit deploys, streaming video and sensor data to CGA's operations center in Austin, which oversees responses through a digital twin of the campus.
By providing live intel and drawing fire away from victims, CGA argues drones can save lives during the critical first minutes before police arrive. The company says the system also reduces risk to officers, who can enter buildings with better information instead of blindly searching for the threat.
The drones themselves can act as a deterrent. Sirens and speakers on the drones can disorient the threat, while demanding they surrender. Air poppers and a pepper gun can be used to further disorient, distract and perhaps incapacitate the threat. If all else fails, the drones can employ "kinetic energy hits" to slam themselves into the assailant, with similar force to that of a beanbag round.
CGA points to troubling statistics - over 800 people killed or wounded in recent school shootings, and a surge in swatting incidents, as proof of the need for rapid, tech-driven defenses. While privacy, cost, and reliability remain open questions, the program has already attracted interest from school districts and law enforcement officials in Texas.
