Columbine. Sandy Hook. Uvalde. Pulse Nightclub. Virginia Tech. A Fourth of July parade in Illinois. A movie theater in Colorado. A church in Detroit. A concert venue in Las Vegas. The list of tragedies could fill an article on their own.

Sadly, active shooter situations have become an every-town problem — and a nearly every-week problem. So much so, Scott Keplinger, CEO, IntelliSee, a Coralville, Iowa-based manufacturer of an Al-powered risk mitigation platform, notes that, “Shootings happen all the time now, so fewer make national news unless they’re the worst-case scenario.”

But, faced with a tragic event that can happen literally anywhere, those who are tasked with recommending, designing, installing, and maintaining security systems need to prepare customers for it to potentially happen everywhere.

Justin Kelley, vice president of global operations for the enhanced protection services division, Allied Universal, Irvine, Calif., acknowledges that a lot of customer interest in these types of solutions is still event-driven. “They see something that has occurred and was the same demographic they live in and think maybe they should be concerned,” he explains. “It is not just big cities. It can be very rural, and they think, ‘If it could happen there, it can happen to us.’ … Everyone talks about Columbine. It wasn’t the first, but it was the most severe and an eye-opening experience.”

More than 25 years after Columbine happened in 1999, schools are still a primary client base, Kelley says. Subsequent school shootings — no state has escaped this epidemic — have created a host of unwilling experts who speak from experience, as well as a number of other informed resources designed to help, such as the Partnership Alliance for Safer Schools, or PASS, formed in 2014 by the Security Industry Association (SIA) and National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA). PASS provides safety and security guidelines, checklists, and other resources to schools, which can be adapted for other verticals.

While many of the most high-profile and tragic incidents in the past occurred at schools, the technologies and strategies developed to help prevent and mitigate incidents in those settings can today be considered best practices in a wide variety of scenarios. It is imperative for security integrators to get familiar with these assets, if they haven’t already.

“There was definitely a rise in active shooter events in 2024, and the occurrences were moving from isolated markets (i.e. schools) to other venues,” says Scott Lord, solutions consultant, ECC, a Lincoln, Neb.-based integrator. Lord also serves on the PASS Advisory Council and is the PASS Technical Committee co-chair. “This has caused more end users to reach out for active shooter solutions. In addition, many end users already have the basic technological components of security — access control, video surveillance, and emergency alerting — and are looking for the next technology to further enhance their security.”

Kirk Evans, director of sales performance, Security 101, West Palm Beach, Fla., says most of his company’s projects today touch on active shooter solutions in some way. “Whenever you are looking for a comprehensive security posture of your campus, I think it has something to do with either pre-screening, proactive alerting, and/or AI and analytics that can help with an active shooter solution. It has absolutely increased maybe 1,000 percent. Everyone’s security plan today has something to do with it due to the nature of our business.”

Mike Harrison, chief visionary officer, WDS, powered by iS3 Tech Services, Atlanta (featured on this month’s cover), agrees, noting that, “Schools are the folks that need it the most.” However, he says other verticals are not far behind, with hospitals, large corporations, and data centers recently showing more interest in securing their facilities from a weapons threat.

“This has become a significant part of our work over the past few years,” Harrison says. “We’ve seen a sharp increase in demand — not only for gunshot detection but also for proactive technologies like visual weapons detection, intelligent camera analytics, and weapons screening systems. What started as a reactive conversation is now becoming a strategic conversation around layered, proactive defense.”

The Layered Security Approach

Those most versed in active shooter solutions — both integrators and solutions providers — universally say the same thing when it comes to these types of tragedies: there is no one policy, technology, or product that will work on its own. It takes a layered approach. What does that look like, typically?

“Every venue poses a different challenge,” Kelley says. “The bottom line is the venue wants to push out that threat. They don’t want it on their doorstep. If they can push that by using different technologies or even divert the threat entirely, that is what we look at. … Not every technology will fit, so you need a layered approach. You can’t have just one single go-to solution.”

Timothy English, managing director, Acoem, Grants Pass, Ore., explains the typical layers of an active shooter solution, of which gunshot detection products like Acoem's are just one part of a whole ecosystem: “The first element is the prevention piece, limiting access to the facility and controlling the traffic flow,” he says. “From an integrator’s perspective, that is access control or barricades, locks, and other hardening devices. Then you have detection like cameras and license plate reader systems and solutions like gunshot detection systems. Finally, you move to response, where, if you do see a threat, you have systems that can lock doors automatically, notify police, and execute the emergency procedures you have created for this scenario.”

Acoem’s gunshot detection technology is a reactive technology, English explains. “If a gunshot occurs, you need as much information as you can get. Our system detects a gunshot from a single location and instantly redirects a PTZ camera to home in, get associated video, a map, and audio alert,” he says.

Solutions like those from Acoem, designed for outdoor use, and Shooter Detection Systems, which are primarily used inside (although they do have a recent outdoor offering) are newer additions to the mix. James Reno, vice president of North America commercial sales, Shooter Detection, an Alarm.com company, Tysons, Va., says security integrators should treat them in a similar manner to any other alarm. “I think if we could get integrators to think of shot technology as more of a sensor in the ecosystem and not a whole system, it would help with risk assessments. I think every lobby in America could easily have one of these.”

The video surveillance component is a more familiar part of the layered approach for security integrators. But thanks to AI, that has become a more complex piece of the puzzle, says Dean Drako, CEO, Eagle Eye Networks, Austin, Texas. These systems are now commonly used to provide “brandished weapons” detection, spotting weapons using trained AI algorithms.

“The dealer or integrator has to be very involved in camera placement,” Drako explains. “You can’t necessarily use existing cameras to do this type of detection, so you want to make sure you get the appropriate views and angles to achieve accurate detection.”

Then there is the issue of what to do with the alert once it is received. Any alert needs to reviewed, either by AI or a human. If done by the AI engine, there are potential false alarm issues, Drako advises. “You have to think, are you willing to tolerate a false alarm now and again or not?” Then there is the question of who gets the alarm, and how? All of these are things the integrator needs to assess and discuss with the customer.

In the hierarchy of layers, AI brandished weapons detection would come before shot detection, Drako adds. “What we are focused on in the AI world is detecting you have a problem earlier so you can implement a lockdown. Defense comes in layers. … Brandished weapons detection is just another layer that fits into that toolbox for the reseller or customer to use in crafting their solution.”

Eagle Eye also is also involved in the communications layer after a gun is detected or discharged, Drako says. “Eagle Eye 911 camera sharing will immediately share relevant cameras with 911 call centers so they can see who has the guns, what kind of guns, and where they are going. So, when first responders arrive, they know exactly what they are walking into.”

From perimeter fencing to lockdown solutions and emergency communications, all of these elements are important to consider when speaking with a customer, Evans says. “To be clear, there are very specific products that can help more than others with an active shooter, but it depends on what your goal is. If everyone had an unlimited budget, they would all have gun detection and AI shot detection.” Evans says his company has even used AI and video analytics to create “virtual fencing” to make an electronic fence line.

“If there is going to be that incident, it is better to be outside than inside,” he says. “We want to identify and act upon an incident as it begins, not after it has already happened. Access control and video and gun detection or shot detection are all used in those situations.”

But don’t discount the technology the customer may already have in place, either, Evans says. While newer technology is great to have, not everyone can afford it or implement it everywhere necessary all at once. “Quite frankly, I don’t believe 75 percent of campuses are using the majority of these systems,” Evans says. “The best first step would be to put the easier-to-implement solutions in right away and worry about the AI in the future. … There are so many significant parts and pieces to a security plan, it will never be 100 percent. We [first] use the existing technology they have and try to bolster it.”

Harrison has had similar experiences with customers. “We typically work from the perimeter in, and that starts with a visual or brandished weapons detection solution. In most cases, we can use existing cameras for that if they are a new enough model and high quality. There is a certain threshold we don’t want to go under, but, a lot of times, existing cameras work pretty well.

“Then we might integrate access control into that solution so that if a gun is detected in the parking lot, they can implement a lockdown,” Harrison says. “The third layer could be concealed weapons detection, similar to a metal detector, but only looking for firearms. Layer four would be the gunshot detection. Hopefully, we stopped it at the perimeter, but, if not, this information would go to law enforcement with map sharing and live video feeds to provide intelligent, actionable information, such as what they look like. For us, that is the ultimate goal in what we do: Either prevent the incident from happening, or, if it does happen, drastically reduce the response time and save lives.”

It boils down to the idea that no one product or solution is the panacea, Keplinger says, noting that it is important to have a multi-layered strategy that includes both “old school” and “emerging” solutions. “No organization can update their infrastructure to the latest and greatest all at once, so it is important for new technologies to work with and enhance existing infrastructure, people, and processes. For example, most schools now have security cameras, video management systems, access control, public address, and so on. Some emerging technologies are enhancing those versus replacing or competing with them.”

A Critical Consulting Role

While most security projects these days involve a consultatory approach, active shooter solutions require even more specialized knowledge — or at least the ability to bring in the right types of experts to bolster an integrator’s in-house expertise. This goes beyond just a technology review, Harrison says.

“Throughout our history, iS3 has always tried to uncover their specific needs,” Harrison says. “All differ in terms of where they are in their journey. They might have legacy systems or nothing at all. … Our job is to poke and prod and do deep site evaluations and assessments, talking to all the folks involved in the success of their environment.

“As weapons detection systems started to emerge in the marketplace, the few companies promoting them were manufacturers, and sometimes they were selling direct,” Harrison continues. “When your only solution is a hammer, every problem is a nail. There was little effort to uncover what the real issue was. … Even from the integrator to end user side, it was all about products and what these systems can do. There weren’t any conversations about, ‘What then? You detect a gun, but what happens next?’ It left the end user with a question mark and not much advice from either the integrator or manufacturer side to help them craft that response.”

Harrison's company saw a need in the marketplace and decided to create a new division dedicated to weapons response called Weapons Detection Systems, or WDS. But, starting out, Harrison recognized they needed help.

“As integrators, that wasn’t really a place of comfort for us because we weren’t the subject matter experts,” says Harrison. He sought guidance from outside organizations, including retired CIA and FBI personnel with expertise in active shooter scenarios. Eventually, he decided to bring them in as full partners and create WDS as an in-house division, with the goal of it becoming an independent entity that could be offered as a service to other integrators.

“A lot of what we do is education and informing customers of certain risks and how to mitigate them,” Harrison says. “We found this separates us from our competition and others who aren’t talking about that.”

Specialized knowledge is key for Allied Universal as well, Kelley says. “We definitely have experts in-house and use them very often. The first step is to start with the assessment of the place, whether it is a school, company, or campus. It starts with sitting down across a table and discussing what they think they might need. Next is that risk assessment, whether on the cyber or physical side, or both. We feel a well-run, coordinated risk assessment will tell us what we need to know. … Ask the client where they think their vulnerabilities are, and through that risk assessment, you will either prove or disprove that.”

Security 101’s Evans agrees: “One of the things we coach internally is whenever one of my staff shows up and a customer says, ‘I want cameras,’ we need to have a conversation and ask, ‘What are you trying to do with those cameras?’ We have to evolve as integrators and become subject matter experts and solution providers. Sometimes, our customers ask for one thing when they might really need something else.”

Another element to the consulting side — particularly for school clients — is the budgetary aspect, Kelley adds. “Some schools struggle with funding, and that is always first and foremost,” he says. “I have worked with school districts that have had active shooter incidents and even those have had a tough time getting budgets passed for security.”

Some integrators get involved in helping schools find grants and other resources to help pay for security solutions. “At our company, we have a third-party grant writing team that works with customers that ask for that help,” Evans says.

“Every facility is different, with different levels of what they are capable of doing and how to fund it,” English says. “Some rely on their security partners for the whole thing, from designing to installing and integrating, through to maintenance and support. … Many integrators are prepared to help along the whole process.”

While having that depth of knowledge involvement might seem daunting for those not as well-versed in it, IntelliSee’s Keplinger advises taking a closer look at the in-house skillsets they have already developed. “Security integrators and dealers should and can play a very important role in helping with this critical issue,” he says. “As experts, they should proactively share their expertise and recommendations with their current and prospective customers. Many integrators and dealers undervalue the amount of experience and expertise they’ve gained. They lose sight that the organizations they’re serving don’t and won’t have that knowledge base. These organizations also want and are seeking guidance.”

Key Advice for Integrators

While security integrators shouldn’t count out their expertise, they should also be realistic and know when to ask for help, Harrison advises. It shouldn’t be just an add-on product or service without also adding the expertise to go with it.

“Our advice? Think twice before jumping into this space without full commitment,” he says. “Active shooter solutions are not just another product line — they involve tremendous liability, require deep expertise, and come with risks many integrators underestimate. Everything from insurance costs to messaging risk from sales teams to improper integration or response protocols can create real-world consequences. This isn’t an area where you can afford to ‘learn as you go.’ It has taken us years of focused effort to build the right processes, partnerships, and specialized knowledge to do this work properly — and we still approach every project with humility and discipline.”

That is one reason why Harrison’s company created a separate WDS division, he says. “We’re happy to collaborate with other integrators who want to offer these solutions responsibly. We often work alongside integrators as their weapons detection and active threat response partner — helping them deliver value to their clients without taking on the burden of building this capability from scratch.”

Shannon Torres, retired chief of police and customer success manager at 911inform, Wall Township, N.J., agrees. “When it comes to practical application and real-world deployment, it’s critical to rely on seasoned professionals — those with both field experience and technical knowledge. It’s not just about selling a system; it’s about making sure it’s deployed effectively and serves its intended purpose.”

These professionals could be an expert consultant, partner integrator, manufacturer partner, or a combination of sources, Kelley says. “I would want to affiliate myself with other integrators, or a company that just does this type of security and has subject matter expertise in a variety of settings.”

When it comes to the technology part of the equation, English cautions against just sticking with what you know and not looking for other partnerships. “They need to be that trusted consultant and not just a reseller of whoever they happen to have the best deal with. They need to be well-versed on what is the state-of-the-art.”

Kelley advises, however, not to go too bleeding edge too quickly. “Get your basic blocking and tackling down, then look to the add-ons. Integrators wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t looking at technology enhancements, but be willing to say to the customer, ‘You are fine with what you have’ and work 18 months down the road. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Active shooter solutions can be complicated to deploy, Drako says, so it is critical to manage customer expectations. “First off, you need to articulate to the customer that it is a new technology, and it is not perfect,” he says. “The key thing is not to oversell it. Sell it as a layer you want to have, but just one layer in a defense system. It is never going to be perfect. … This is the danger of people thinking it will solve all their problems.”

Embracing these emerging technologies and solutions does take commitment, Keplinger says, from truly understanding the solutions to committing the resources for sales, training, and marketing. “Because these technologies aren’t yet commoditized, dealers and integrators can do well with them; but the downside is, it’s a much more involved, consultative sales process versus responding to an RFP.”

One thing is certain, however. Active shooter solutions are something customers are increasingly looking for and something integrators should be prepared to talk about, Keplinger adds. “It’s a tough topic to discuss, but I highly recommend proactively bringing it up at every organization. It’s too important a topic, and the trends are too alarming to ignore.”