Montgomery County Schools Explore Installing Weapon Detectors

Montgomery County Schools Explore Installing Weapon Detectors To Boost Campus Safety

Broward County Public Schools Install Metal Detectors To Improve Security

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland’s largest school system, is now exploring the possibility of installing weapons detectors in schools. Marcus Jones, former Montgomery County Police Department chief and now head of security and compliance for MCPS, confirmed that they are in the early stages of evaluating various products for potential use.

This move follows last year’s incident where a 15-year-old student was charged with bringing a handgun to Richard Montgomery High School. Recent school shootings, including one in Georgia that claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, and another in Baltimore where a student was killed by a classmate at Joppatown High School, have heightened concerns about safety.

MCPS is already taking steps to address security issues, including the recent decision to install vape detectors in middle and high schools. Additionally, some high schools now require students to wear their IDs throughout the school day.

However, several challenges remain. Funding is a major hurdle, as Prince William County, for example, spends over $10 million to operate weapons detectors for four years. Another concern is how to ensure that all students—especially in schools with thousands of attendees—can get through detectors efficiently without delaying the start of the school day.

Source: The DMV Daily

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