K-12 Schools
Detect a shot anywhere on campus — inside or outside — and trigger law enforcement notification and lockdown protocols in under two seconds, without waiting for a staff member to make a call.
Explore K-12 →A School Gunshot Detection System That Notifies Law Enforcement in Under Two Seconds
Positive Proof gunshot detection confirms a gunshot on campus and notifies law enforcement in under two seconds — automatically triggering alerts and lockdown protocols before any staff member has time to make a phone call.
THE PROBLEM
Every Second Between Shot and Response Costs Lives
The FBI studied 160 active shooter incidents in the United States from 2000 to 2013, in all kinds of places, not only schools: 39 of them happened at schools or colleges. Of the 63 incidents whose duration could be determined, 44 (69%) ended in 5 minutes or less, and 60% of all 160 ended before police arrived. A school gunshot detection system removes the wait for someone to recognize the shot and call 911.
Without automatic detection, the response starts with a person. Someone has to recognize the sound as a gunshot, get to a phone, reach 911, and describe what happened and where. In a loud school building, under extreme stress, or where the witness cannot safely make a call, that takes longer. Or it doesn't happen at all.
In a phone-call response, dispatch has to receive the call before police can be sent. Every second spent recognizing the shot and placing the call comes out of a window that is already short. In the same FBI study, 23 of those 63 incidents ended in 2 minutes or less.
Beyond the active threat scenario, gunshots on or near campus from external incidents require fast, accurate identification to trigger an appropriate response. Human detection is inconsistent and subject to misidentification. Dual-signal detection confirms a gunshot the moment it happens — correlating the audible spike with the air-pressure change a shot produces — and fires a response automatically.
A shot is fired in a school building and the response waits for someone to recognize it and call 911
Law enforcement arrives without knowing where the shot came from and must search the building while the threat is active
A shot near campus goes undetected for minutes because no staff member was positioned to hear it clearly
An incident occurs in an area of campus — gymnasium, parking lot, portable classroom — where staff presence is low
HOW IT WORKS
How Positive Proof Gunshot Detection Works
Dual-signal detection to law enforcement notification in under two seconds — no human in the loop required.
- 1
Shot Detected
Dual-signal sensors installed throughout the facility monitor continuously. A gunshot produces both an audible spike and an immediate air-pressure change — the system confirms both signals together and registers the event in real time, no human trigger required.
- 2
Location Identified
Sensors are installed across the facility. When one detects a shot, the alert identifies its area — building, wing, floor, or outdoor zone — so responders know where to go.
- 3
Alerts Fire
Simultaneously: administrators receive a platform alert with the detection area, all staff devices receive notification, PA announcements can trigger automatically, and law enforcement receives direct notification with the campus area.
- 4
Protocols Execute
Configured automated protocols — lockdown commands, door locking, PA announcements — execute simultaneously with the alert. Law enforcement arrives knowing the detection area, not just a street address.
WHO IT SERVES
Every Facility Where a Gunshot Demands Instant Response
Gunshot detection removes human delay from the most critical moment in any security event.
Government
Secure courthouses, administrative buildings, and public service offices where threat incidents require immediate law enforcement notification and documented response protocols.
Explore Government →
Places of Worship
Protect congregants and staff at religious facilities where public access and community gatherings create exposure to active threat events.
Explore Places of Worship →Deployed across all 13 industries served by Positive Proof. View all industries →
COMPARE THE OPTIONS
Gunshot Detection, Camera Gun Detection and Weapons Screening: What Each One Detects
These three technologies are easy to confuse, but they detect different things at different moments. Weapons screening looks for a concealed weapon at the entrance. Camera gun detection looks for a weapon that a camera can see. Gunshot detection responds once a gun is fired. The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) describes all three and recommends a layered approach.
| Technology | What triggers it | When it works | What it cannot see | What it needs on site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons screening (walk-through metal detectors and weapons detectors) | Metal on a person or in a bag as they walk through. Weapons detectors also judge an object's size, shape and density. | At the entrance, before a weapon gets inside | A weapon brought in through an entrance that is not screened. Laptops and other metal items can still set it off and need a manual search. | At least two trained staff per screening lane, and time at arrival, because screening can slow entry |
| Camera gun detection (brandished weapon detection) | Software that recognizes a handgun, rifle or large knife in a security camera's image | When someone carries a weapon openly in a camera's view | A concealed weapon, under clothing or in a bag. Detection also depends on the camera's view and lighting. | Cameras of at least 720p (PASS prefers 1080p or higher), good lighting, and at least two trained staff watching at busy times, or a monitoring service, to check every alert |
| Gunshot detection | The sound of a gun being fired. Positive Proof confirms it only when an audible spike and an air-pressure change occur together. | Once a shot is fired, indoors or outdoors | A weapon that has not been fired. A gun must be fired before the system responds. | Sensors through the building and the outdoor areas you choose, connected to the alerts and lockdown steps you want it to start |
CISA's school security guide lists what entry screening depends on and what it costs a school: staff to operate the devices, policies for what they find, a less welcoming entrance, and the high cost of the technology.
Positive Proof gunshot detection is the layer that responds after a shot. It does not detect a carried or concealed weapon, and it does not replace entry screening, panic buttons or lockdown drills. What it adds is time: it confirms the shot and notifies law enforcement in under two seconds. Positive Proof is one of the only systems available that combines gunshot detection and panic alerts in a single unified system, so a staff alert and a detected shot start the same response.
Sources: Partner Alliance for Safer Schools, What Is Weapons Detection? (white paper) · CISA, K-12 School Security Guide, 3rd Edition
CAPABILITIES
Instant Detection. Automatic Response.
Positive Proof gunshot detection combines dual-signal sensors throughout the facility — confirming a gunshot only when an audible spike and an air-pressure change occur together — area-level location that identifies where a shot was detected, under-two-second notification from shot confirmed to alert delivered, automatic law enforcement notification (no 911 call required), automated lockdown protocols, and two-factor confirmation that rejects sound-only events like slamming doors and amplified music.
<2
Seconds to Notify
From shot confirmed to law enforcement alert
0
Phone Calls Required
Law enforcement notified automatically with the detection area
25+
Years Deployed
In K-12 schools and facilities nationwide
BUYER'S CHECKLIST
What to Check Before You Buy a School Gunshot Detection System
A gunshot detection system is only as useful as the response it starts. Bring these seven questions to any vendor demonstration, including ours.
How is a gunshot confirmed?
Ask what the system must sense before it alerts, and what happens with slamming doors, dropped objects and amplified music. Positive Proof registers a gunshot only when an audible spike and an air-pressure change occur together.
Does it cover indoors and outdoors?
Corridors, gymnasiums and classrooms, and also parking lots, athletic fields and portable classrooms. Ask whether indoor and outdoor sensors report into one detection and alert system.
What location does the alert carry?
Responders need the building, wing, floor or outdoor zone, not only the street address.
Who is notified, how, and how fast?
Ask whether law enforcement is notified automatically or only after someone reviews the alert, and how long each step takes.
Does it start the rest of your response?
Staff devices, PA announcements, strobes, panic alerts and lockdown commands, plus automated door locking where it is integrated with compatible access control.
What does installation involve?
Ask for a site assessment, a sensor placement plan and how the sensors connect. Most Positive Proof deployments can be completed without major construction.
How will you fund it?
The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program funds “technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency” and requires a local cost share of at least 25 percent. Confirm in the current funding notice whether your purchase qualifies. See school safety grants and funding.
SEE IT IN ACTION
See Gunshot Detection in Action
A demo takes less than 30 minutes and includes a live demonstration of dual-signal detection, alert transmission, and automated response protocols.
PART OF A UNIFIED SAFETY PLATFORM
Gunshot Detection Works Best With These Solutions
Gunshot detection responds to the worst-case scenario — these solutions build the layers before it gets there within one unified platform.
Panic Buttons
Explore Panic Buttons
Door Monitoring
Gunshot detection responds when a threat is inside. Door monitoring is how you know the moment an unauthorized entry point is breached.
Explore Door Monitoring
Visitor Management
The most effective gunshot detection is never needing it. Visitor Management screens threats before they reach campus.
Explore Visitor ManagementFAQ
Common Questions About Gunshot Detection
Everything you need to know before requesting a demo.
Positive Proof gunshot detection uses dual-signal confirmation: it registers a gunshot only when an audible spike and an immediate air-pressure (barometric) change occur together. Sound-only events — slamming doors, dropped objects, amplified music — produce the noise but not the pressure change, so they don't trigger an alert. This two-factor approach is more discriminating than systems that trigger on sound level alone.
No. A gunshot detection system responds after a gun is fired. Weapons screening, such as walk-through metal detectors, looks for a concealed weapon at the entrance, and camera gun detection looks for a weapon a camera can see. The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) notes that a gun must be fired for gunshot detection to respond, and that camera detection cannot see a concealed weapon. Positive Proof gunshot detection is the layer that responds after the shot: it confirms the shot and notifies law enforcement in under two seconds.
When a gunshot is detected, Positive Proof sends a direct alert to local law enforcement dispatch with the facility address and the specific campus area where the shot was detected. This happens automatically — no phone call, no verbal communication, no human in the loop. Law enforcement arrives knowing the area of the incident, not just the building address.
Automated response protocols are configured during implementation based on your existing infrastructure. Common configurations include: lockdown commands to all staff devices, automated door locking when integrated with compatible access control systems, PA announcements, and simultaneous notification to all staff smartphones. Specific capabilities depend on your facility's existing systems.
Positive Proof gunshot detection sensors are installed throughout the building, in places such as corridors, gymnasiums and classrooms. Each sensor confirms a gunshot only when an audible spike and an immediate air-pressure change occur together within a half-second window. When a sensor confirms a shot, the alert identifies the area where it was detected (building, wing or floor) and notifies law enforcement in under two seconds, while staff alerts and configured lockdown protocols run at the same time.
Yes. Positive Proof gunshot detection sensors can be deployed in outdoor areas including parking lots, athletic fields, and campus perimeters. Outdoor sensor placement is configured during the site assessment to ensure full campus coverage. Indoor and outdoor sensors operate within the same detection and alert system.
Most deployments can be completed without major construction, using existing network infrastructure for sensor communication. The implementation team conducts a site assessment prior to installation to determine the optimal sensor placement and connectivity approach for your specific campus layout.
It may be. The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) was created under the STOP School Violence Act of 2018. Its purposes at K-12 schools include “acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.” SVPP awards require a local cost share of at least 25 percent. The Bureau of Justice Assistance's STOP School Violence grants cannot be used for security systems or other target-hardening equipment. Confirm eligibility in the current funding notice. See positive-proof.com/school-safety/grants-funding/ for available programs.
ShotSpotter, from SoundThinking, has deployments in more than 180 cities and now has a campus version. SoundThinking's campus page says it can “identify 90% of outdoor gunfire within 60 seconds.” Each event is verified by acoustic experts at its 24/7 Incident Review Center, and alerts then go to campus law enforcement. Positive Proof gunshot detection covers the inside of school buildings as well as outdoor areas: corridors, gymnasiums and parking lots. It confirms each shot with two signals and notifies law enforcement in under two seconds, while it triggers school response protocols such as lockdown commands, staff device notification and PA announcements, in the same system as Positive Proof panic alerts.
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