Best Weapons Detection for Hospital Security Solutions

When implementing hospital security solutions, teams tend to face the following challenges:

• • Metal detectors pose several problems from a visitor experience perspective. To start, they’re not suitable for entrances with wheelchairs and gurneys. Additionally, they’re intrusive and can make people uncomfortable when they enter the premises. In a facility where patients are supposed to feel safe, metal detectors can remind them of the risk of gun violence while also making them feel like they are being treated like criminals.
  • Effectively identifying patients, hospital workers, or visitors carrying weapons proves to be a difficult task.
  • Most hospitals want to reduce costs, but conventional security systems require staff members to be present at every security station, increasing operating costs. In a larger facility, the number of required staff members grows as the number of entrances increases, potentially causing massive overhead.
  • Metal detectors with active sensors may pose risks to individuals with medical devices and are often not designed to accommodate wheelchairs effectively.
  • When a patient enters a hospital, especially in an emergency scenario, time is of the essence. Conventional hospital security solutions can lead to prolonged queues, disrupting operations and potentially negatively impacting patients’ and staff’s physical and mental health.
  • Advanced alerts, which include threat level, related video, and the location of the weapon on the person, are critically crucial for investigation purposes. However, most traditional weapons detection products lack these features, hindering post-event analysis.
  • Security staff need clear and comprehensive reporting metrics to better understand how to continuously improve security measures, but many conventional systems lack this feature.
  • Data security is a top concern for security teams overseeing safety measures at hospitals, and they need to be assured that the sensitive data they monitor complies with HIPAA.
  • Integrating an external vendor’s cloud-based system-structured IT infrastructure may present a significant challenge, necessitating internal hospital processes and procedures modifications.

Note: SoundThinking’s SafePointe weapons detection system was built to solve all the pain points listed above. You can read about it in detail below or reach out to our sales team to learn more about how it can help improve security operations at your hospital.

SafePointe Weapons Detection System

SafePointe is an AI-powered weapons detection system suited for the unique challenges of hospital environments and hospital security solutions. Unlike cumbersome traditional metal detectors, SafePointe’s compact design allows guests and employees to pass through smoothly and discreetly, without interruptions or the need for security personnel at entry points. Its capability to rapidly screen individuals and their belongings, combined with a lower total cost of ownership than staffed detectors, makes SafePointe an ideal choice for hospitals, casinos, universities, corporate offices, museums, and warehouses.

Key Benefit # 1: Concealed Weapons Detection System Enhances Public Safety While Blending Seamlessly Into the Environment

Unlike conventional weapons detection systems, which are often conspicuous, the SafePointe system prioritizes subtlety. Typically installed as bollards, planters, or even located out of sight entirely, SafePointe ensures a seamless integration with the aesthetics of the hospital environment.

SafePointe allows for the frictionless, safe scanning of entrances in the hospital setting without the need for obvious security measures. Its discreet implementation offers unparalleled public safety without drawing the people’s attention on-site.

Furthermore, the inconspicuous design of the bollards allows for seamless passage through the checkpoint, accommodating individuals in wheelchairs or gurneys—a feature lacking in conventional security methods, which tend to have restrictive and narrow pathways.

Key Benefit #2: Expedite Resolution of Threats with High-Precision 3D Camera, Sensors, and NVIDIA Edge Processor

SafePointe’s sophisticated 3D camera integrates motion data—such as speed, position, and movements—with magnetic moment data, enabling the simultaneous scanning of multiple individuals. Powered by an NVIDIA® edge processor, the system processes this data with an advanced AI model to accurately evaluate threat levels and identify individuals carrying weapons and the location of the weapon on the person, facilitating quick search and resolution.

Key Benefit # 3: Unmanned System Reduces Screening Time, Upholds Rigorous Safety Protocols, and Saves Money

Traditional magnetometer security systems require security guards to be physically present and screen everyone who walks past. This is not the most resource-efficient way to conduct screenings, as most visitors who walk past will not pose a safety risk. Furthermore, these types of systems require facilities to pay the salaries for multiple people to physically man the system, which is problematic for many departments looking to cut excessive costs.

In contrast, SafePointe utilizes state-of-the-art sensor technology, known as Magnetic Moment, as a critical element in its scalable, unmanned operation, which is particularly appropriate for addressing the threat of gun violence in a healthcare setting. This technology uses sophisticated algorithms and an extensive database of weapon signatures to assess the magnetic attributes of the objects, distinguishing potential threats from innocuous items. From there, human experts at the Analyst Review Center review and confirm this information within 10 seconds, which entails either verifying legitimate threats or effectively filtering out non-threats like armed security personnel.

This two-pronged approach removes the need for round-the-clock human monitoring at entry points, reducing operating costs while ensuring that security officers in hospitals focus their resources where it’s needed most:  on persons of interest requiring secondary screenings.

Key Benefit # 4: Passive Sensors Ensure Safety and Accessibility for Vulnerable Groups

Many conventional weapons detection systems, including metal detectors, use active magnetic field-generating sensors, which can interfere with medical devices like pacemakers. SafePointe’s Magnetic Moment sensors are passive, making them a safer alternative for individuals with such vulnerabilities.

In addition, traditional metal detectors often feature narrow pathways, creating challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or gurneys. SafePointe addresses this issue with its bollards, spaced 8-10 feet apart, providing ample clearance for easy access. Unlike competing systems, such as Evolv, which lack sufficient width for wheelchairs or gurneys, SafePointe’s sensors effectively detect weapons transported on these devices, a capability which is particularly crucial given that weapons are increasingly being carried through ambulance bays nationwide.

Key Benefit # 5: High Throughput, Efficiently Screening Large Volumes of People

Conventional metal detectors often lead to long lines, frustrated guests, and less effective security processes. In contrast, the SafePointe system delivers fast, efficient screening for high volumes of people. Its advanced free-flow screening technology allows visitors to move through effortlessly, providing a touchless and seamless experience.

Key Benefit # 6: Advanced Insights Regarding Threat Levels & Accompanying Video Clips Effectively Synthesize Information for Security Team Review 

Although many metal detectors include built-in video cameras, they lack the ability to effectively synthesize information from this data, particularly as it relates to verified threats that require additional attention.  In contrast, the SafePointe system’s combination of AI and expert human analyst review effectively synthesizes information regarding threats that hospital security teams can then review and act upon accordingly.

As individuals pass the bollards, magnetic moment technology detects disruptions in the Earth’s natural magnetic field, creating a unique digital signature for any magnetically conductive objects.

A 3D camera simultaneously captures real-time motion data, including direction, speed, and movement. Using AI, the system analyzes this magnetic and motion data to assess whether the individual is carrying a weapon. If a potential weapon is detected, the information is sent to human analysts for review, effectively filtering out non-threats like armed security personnel. SafePointe sends an alert to the facility’s security team within ten seconds through the SafePointe app or text message. The alert includes the threat level, an image of the individual, the probable weapon location, and a brief video clip. This information enables the security team to respond effectively following the facility’s protocols.

Key Benefit # 7: Comprehensive Reporting to Quickly and Accurately Review Facility Security Threats

Security teams overseeing hospital security solutions will benefit from the comprehensive reporting available in the InSight data platform, accessible through a web interface. It enables the review, analysis, reporting, and sharing of SafePointe data for the various lanes, entry points, and multiple facilities and locations monitored by SafePointe.

The Alert Review Summary offers an easy-to-read incident report, supporting investigations and enabling the sharing of safety and investigative information. Accessible through the InSight application upon request, this summary can be shared both internally and externally and can help security teams refine their approaches as needed.

SafePointe provides a daily, weekly, and monthly scorecard report that provides the number of people passing through the bollards, the number of detections, alerts, and SLA performance, an ideal reporting tool for internal security teams to review and monitor continuously.

Key Benefit # 8: SOC 2 Compliance and HIPAA Compliance

SafePointe is HIPAA compliant, providing teams overseeing hospital security systems with the confidence that their sensitive data is protected and adheres to regulatory standards.  Additionally, SafePointe is on track to achieve SOC 2 compliance across all sectors by January 2025.

Key Benefit # 9: Operates Separately from your Main Network

The SafePointe on-premise IOT sensors and systems follow industry best practices and isolate these IOT devices from your internal corporate networks. To protect and isolate this sensor network, SoundThinking deploys and manages an enterprise-class Cisco Meraki firewall suitable for direct connection to the internet that protects and provides remote management connectivity. Your internal IT services only need to provide internet connectivity to these Meraki Firewall devices, and SoundThinking manages the remainder of this isolated independent sensor network.

Criteria for Assessing a Weapons Detection System as Part of Hospital Security Solutions

1. Does the system ensure discreet weapons detection?
2. Does the system have a sophisticated and reliable means of accurately assessing threat objects?
3. Can the system provide cost savings?
4. Does the system accommodate individuals with medical devices and provide accessibility for wheelchairs and gurneys?
5. Can the system effectively handle high volumes of pedestrian traffic?
6. Does the system provide real-time alerts supplemented with video for efficient investigative follow-up?
7. Does the system provide detailed reporting and performance metrics?
8. Does the system offer SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance?
9. Does the system operate independently of your primary network?

The Leading Option for Weapons Detection

At a time when prioritizing security is crucial, SafePointe’s AI-based weapons detection system emerges as the best choice for teams overseeing hospital security solutions. Tailored for medical settings aiming to seamlessly integrate advanced threat detection without posing a risk to sensitive patients, SafePointe’s cutting-edge technology adds a safety layer within hospitals, nurturing a secure yet inviting atmosphere for patients, staff, and visitors.

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