CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office can now install and test a weapons detection system at a local high school after their proposal won approval Monday night.
The County Commission approved for technology being implemented at one school, which will happen at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.
Sheriff John Fuson has served as the spokesperson for the resolution since the seed program was first brought to the Budget Committee, and he told Clarksville Now exactly what this moment means to everyone involved.
“Over the last 10 years, we’ve built up the SRO (School Resource Officer) program with people, hardening the entrances and making investments on our buildings to make them more secure,” Fuson said. “I think as time goes on, you start seeing things that add even more value to that safety and those buildings. So, I think this right here is the beginning of giving peace of mind to parents, and it’ll be a process to get it implemented, rolled out right, where folks understand what it is and how it works.
“I really believe the technology is really going to pay dividends as far as peace of mind and everything we do for school safety. I’m proud of that, but it’s not where we stop, though. We’ll continue doing things to improve safety at our schools from adding people, equipment, resources or whatever technology we can get our hands on to help enhance that. This is a good start,” Fuson said.
With the approval of the committee, MCSO and CMCSS will now turn their attention to the bidding process, which includes the Evolv Technology system known as the Evolv Express.
How Evolv Express works
The Evolv Express system that the county will look into purchasing is a dual-lane unit that expands to about 24 feet of open space for students to walk through, and it has the capacity to read up to 4,100 people per hour.
The technology would cost around $230,000 for the one dual lane unit, but the expenses would be covered by funds that weren’t used in another previously approved Sheriff’s Office project.
The system is expected to be covered for four years, and the company would perform maintenance updates when needed. After four years, the county could then extend the contract.
While the school system and sheriff’s department haven’t finalized where they’ll be placing the weapons detection system, Fuson previously said it would make the most sense to start with high schools. That way they can see what kind of logistics are needed to implement the technology system-wide.
Northwest High is being considered first because it’s the only school with only one entrance for students.
Before a decision is made, Fuson said that they will “make sure we communicate well, not only with our internal stakeholders, but with the parents whose children go to these schools.”
Up to $5 million to install at every school
Fuson told Clarksville Now the county has taken preliminary steps to estimate how much money it would take to implement a weapons detection system-wide.
Of course, that’s if the seed program is successful, which will be measured by the school system and the sheriff’s department.
He mentioned that if the county were to put this kind of technology in every high school, based off of the entrances they are currently using, the amount would come out to around $5 million.
Fuson said that more research needs to take place before moving forward.
PREVIOUSLY: Weapons detection system for schools gets support, questions from Montgomery County Commission