Some schools are already doing it!
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Many schools have security systems that include cameras sending live feeds that are monitored by security personnel.
The AP reports that some Lockport, NY schools are going a step further by implementing facial recognition technology that checks each face against a database of expelled students, sex offenders, disgruntled employees and other possible troublemakers.
In addition, the system can be programmed to scan for some weapon “tells” (think: guns or knives in waistbands) and can be matched against a complete file of student and faculty pictures.
Though the system has potential life-saving benefits, some folks are opposing it…
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Among the opponents concerns:
1) Cost … the systems aren’t cheap (but how much is a child’s life worth?)
2) Not fool-proof … not likely to catch all potential attackers (yeah, but what if it catches one?)
3) Privacy … the system is too intrusive (but Facebook info-sharing isn’t?)
4) False positives … facial recognition systems sometimes have difficulty ID’ing persons of color and women (but, aren’t most attackers white males?)
Strikes me that these downsides are all somewhere between silly and manageable…
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