Do Port Chester Schools need metal detectors?
December 12, 2024 at 12:52 a.m.
With the benefit of increased funding, the Port Chester School District has made an intentional investment in amplifying its security measures over the last two years, from tightening visitor protocol, to hiring School Resource Officers to beginning plans to incorporate entrance vestibules in all the buildings.
“We’ve been going all in on security in this district…My mindset is, 90%? No. Let’s go 100%,” said school trustee George Ford at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 21, justifying his proposal to take safety measures to the next level.
That night, at Ford’s request, the school board began discussing the potential of installing metal detectors in the school buildings. The initial reaction from the trustees was mixed—a variety of benefits and disadvantages were considered as they questioned whether the cost and practicality of such an initiative is worth it.
No decisions were made, but it was suggested the conversation will be picked up again when more information comes before the board.
“When individuals come into a school, they have to have their ID, but at the end of the day, we don’t know if that person has a weapon on them. They could be standing there looking like me, and you just don’t know,” Ford said.
It’s the right time to start talking about metal detectors, he added, because the new security vestibules budgeted in the 2023-24 school year were recently approved by the New York State Education Department, so he thinks they should consider putting the devices in the construction designs.
Is the installation worth it?
“To be perfectly honest, my initial reaction is not in favor of metal detectors,” said board President Chrissie Onofrio. “My question from a statistical and data standpoint is, are they really proven to make a positive difference in the safety of our schools?”
Brian Shanahan, the vice president of Altaris Consulting Group, the district’s contracted security advisors, said there’s little evidence suggesting metal detectors are effective. “I’m not trying to talk you in or out of it, just giving you some of the facts as we’ve seen them,” he prefaced.
While metal detectors can be effective for scanning visitors—notably, only if the district is ensuring that there is a single-point entry and exit route—it’s not difficult to get around them if someone really wants to.
“Are they a deterrent? Of course. Are they preventative for all items? No,” he said. “When we think about weapons coming into our building, whether it’s students or people that want to do harm to schools, it’s a proven fact right now that it’s six to eight months in advance that they plan to do harm.
“What’s seen over and over again is, if someone wants to bring a weapon into a building, they’re going to bypass (metal detectors) very easily,” he continued.
Michael Dowd, Port Chester Schools security coordinator, cautioned that if the district does choose to move forward, they must not fall into a false sense of security—metal detectors, he said, will not catch everything.
A 2019 report published by the Education Resources Information Center under the U.S. Department of Education concluded that while metal detectors may bring about a visual appearance of safety, there are general concerns about the unintended negative impacts on school culture. Additionally, with little evidence supporting their effectiveness of violence prevention, the installation also implies significant expenses, it states.
According to the district’s security professionals, incorporating metal detectors will be more complicated than it may outwardly seem.
Shanahan said of the roughly 700 districts his firm partners with, “probably less than a dozen utilize the technology that’s out there, but some are starting to implement.”
There are a variety of different types of metal detectors and weapon surveillance tools the district would need to look into, and each style comes with different cost implications. Then, beyond the machinery, there’s staffing and policy decisions the Board of Education would need to adopt.
“You would have to make sure you have trained personnel. So, if something should pop, then what? What is popping? And who is authorized to search?” he said.
Ford, recognizing how alarming they could be, emphasized that he’s not envisioning turnstile metal detectors that students would need to file through every morning. Rather, he’s interested in inconspicuous technology that hangs from the ceiling or walls.
“I would support Mr. Ford’s suggestion,” said Trustee JoAnne Ferrara in response to his note. “I agree with him that we should not have students or family walking through the turnstiles because that is very off putting, but I would support having a safety measure installed which is out of sight. At least, I would feel more secure knowing students and parents are entering a building where safety measures have been put in place.”
Shanahan said the common system being put in place is called ZeroEyes, which utilizes cameras and AI as a weapons detection tool.
However, Dowd advised that the more advanced technologies out there might not be ready for use in schools.
“If you go to arenas throughout the area, you’ll usually see the standard metal detector there. They’re not using this technology yet,” he said. “If you look at the New York City subway station, they had an AI based system they were using to detect firearms, and they’re moving away from that because it’s not working for them. I’m not saying that these technologies are not a good thing, I just don’t think we’re there yet as far as using them. We may want to wait a little while before we make a decision.”
Shanahan also noted that the newer technologies have a high false positive rate, which means schools utilizing the devises are seeing delays getting students into the building in a timely manner. Timing of morning student arrivals would also need to be considered with traditional turnstile metal detectors.
“If you look at the screening time per machine, it’s about 15 screens per minute,” Dowd said. “You would need (five to eight) machines at the high school and middle school to screen everyone coming in to get them in class in time for instruction.”
Those traditional metal detectors are estimated to cost around $5,000 a machine, he continued. The ZeroEyes devices would cost between $50,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on the number of cameras the district purchases, and would involve a multiyear contract. Other AI systems he’s researched could cost around $3,000 a month per unit and would also imply a time commitment.
Ultimately, “one life is priceless, for me,” Ford said. “I’m not thinking about the data and how many incidents, I’m thinking about just the one that could happen. There’s no cost to someone’s life; everyone’s life is priceless.”
“I just feel this is one more tool in the toolbox to prevent something,” he continued. “It’s not only about our students, it’s about our staff members. It’s about our parents.”
“We’ve all tried to take a proactive approach, especially when it comes to security…I want to be very clear that we consider all sides,” Onofrio said. “If we’re talking about someone from the outside coming in with a weapon, I’m not personally convinced a metal detector will deter that. If we’re talking about students bringing weapons to school, I think there’s a bigger conversation that needs to be had. A metal detector may deter that, but it’s not getting to the root issue of why a student may be bringing a weapon to school.”
She added that school culture is also a concern. While some may feel more secure with metal detectors, the devices can also send the message that Port Chester Schools is a dangerous place—inherently making it feel less safe.
Board member Sharon Burke said she’s inclined to agree with Onofrio, feeling unsure about the benefits.
Before moving forward, “we need to have a better understanding of data and what it is that we’re looking to prevent,” Burke said. “Is it a school shooting? Or is there a problem that we have now? If we can have a discussion about that, if the administration can put together some data for us, then I think we’d be on a better standing for proceeding with this discussion.”
“If this is something we’re seriously considering moving on with, gathering information is something we need to do. But I think we also need to hear from our staff, students and community members as well,” Onofrio said. “Where do they stand on this issue? As we heard, there’s also practical considerations and financial considerations that need to be weighed as well.”
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