JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Rapid response drones could soon be deployed in a school near you.
In a situation where every second could mean more lives lost, the Campus Guardian Angel program proposes a solution: Dozens of drones remotely controlled from a central location spring into action at the push of a button.
The company claims the drones are strong enough to bust through windows and would be armed with pepper spray pellets, rubber munitions, and could deliver kinetic strikes to distract and incapacitate a school threat while law enforcement is on the way.
“I want to reach the shooter in 15 seconds from the time I start flying,” said Bill King, Chief Tactical Officer and Co-Founder of Campus Guardian Angel.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The Texas-based company behind the school safety technology scored half a million dollars as part of this year’s state budget to test out the technology in three yet-to-be-chosen Florida high schools.
King told Action News Jax the inspiration for the idea came about after seeing the effectiveness of drones on the battlefield in the Ukraine war.
King said the guardian angel drones would not only be able to respond to threats faster than law enforcement, but they could also work alongside law enforcement by feeding back information and video or even flying alongside officers as they clear rooms.
“And allow him to get the diversion and the tactical advantage that you can get from something as simple as a drone flying in and starting to give somebody a hard time,” said King.
We asked several of our local school districts whether they’re considering applying for the pilot program.
Most had either not heard of the opportunity or indicated they didn’t plan to apply.
But Duval County Public Schools seemed open to the idea.
“Should the Florida Department of Education choose DCPS as one of the participating districts, we would be happy to support the initiative and collaborate with state officials,” said a DCPS spokesperson in an emailed statement.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The idea has even sparked some curiosity among school safety organizations here in Florida.
Tony Montalto, who lost his daughter, Gina, in the Parkland shooting, has dedicated his life to improving school safety, working with the group Stand With Parkland.
“School safety and security measures need the innovators to keep trying new things and see how they work,” said Montalto.
While Montalto is interested in exploring the drone defense concept, he had some early hesitations.
Specifically, he said he’d want to learn more about potential connection issues and the safety of student bystanders.
“We could see this being part of a layered approach, which we’ve been very careful to take here in Florida,” said Montalto. ”And again, we applaud the ingenuity, but you know we need a lot of fact-checking and a lot of seeing how it works.”
King told Action News Jax that feedback has been generally positive.
While the tech hasn’t officially rolled out in any schools yet, pilot programs like the one soon to launch in Florida will help test the concept.
He said he anticipates the program should be ready to launch in Florida by the start of next year.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
