A recent incident at a Baltimore County Public School raised concerns about the reliability of artificial intelligence in detecting potential threats. As illustrated by student activist Taki Allen, who was handcuffed by armed police. In this case, the officers were responding to an AI system’s bad call that misidentified a packet of crisps as a gun. The incident has local officials demanding a reexamination of the AI detection processes that schools employ.
The attack came just an hour or so after Allen had returned home from football practice. He inhaled an entire bag of Doritos. Unbeknownst to him, he dropped the empty packet into his pocket. The AI detection prompted an immediate response from the school’s safety team. Taking stock, they in minutes stood down the first alert after establishing that there was no weapon. Despite all of this, armed police stormed in 20 minutes later.
Columbus local and resident Taki Allen described when armed police officers pulled guns on him in this powerful story. “Police showed up, like eight cop cars, and then they all came out with guns pointed at me talking about getting on the ground,” he said.
The AI system that backs these applications is supplied by Omnilert. This tepid response came from one of the country’s biggest purveyors, who currently serves more than 5,000 schools across the U.S. Following the incident, Omnilert expressed regret over the situation, stating, “We regret this incident occurred and wish to convey our concern to the student and the wider community affected by the events that followed.” They defended their process, asserting, “While the object was later determined not to be a firearm, the process functioned as intended: to prioritize safety and awareness through rapid human verification.”
Baltimore County local councilman Izzy Pakota packs up to help. In response to this incident, he has called for a review of his school district’s AI weapon detection system. “I am calling on Baltimore County Public Schools to review procedures around its AI-powered weapon detection system,” he stated.
Taki Allen, who has grown increasingly vocal about his ordeal. “I don’t think a chip bag should be mistaken for a gun at all,” he remarked. His experience has profoundly changed his behavior. Today, he doesn’t go outside after practice because he doesn’t feel safe having post-workout snacks outside the school.
Kate Smith, a spokeslady for the Baltimore County Police Department, defended the ticker-hunting officers’ responses to the situation. “Police officers responded to the school, searched the individual and quickly confirmed that they were not in possession of any weapons,” she stated.
The police department emphasized their commitment to safety in their response: “The incident was safely resolved after it was determined there was no threat,” and they noted that their officers “responded appropriately and proportionally based on the information provided at the time.”
The conversation has moved towards how this AI technology would prevent school shootings and what school safety operations it would support. Residents are rightly asking how such a colossal mistake was able to occur and what measures will ensure it is not repeated elsewhere.
