ROC.ai Launches Pilot for Safer Schools in West Virginia

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May 08, 2023, 08:38 ET

MORGANTOWN, W. Va., May 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Rank One Computing (ROC.ai) is proud to formally announce the launch of our Safer Schools Initiative, a pilot program designed to enhance proactive security capabilities in one of our nation's most vulnerable spaces – our schools. This critical initiative will improve safety for students, teachers, and staff – first in West Virginia public schools, then across the country and around the world.

ROC.ai teams have been working closely with more than 50 schools in four West Virginia districts on the initial rollout of our live video analytics platform into existing school-based camera systems.

Now live and in action, ROC Watch enables school administrators to automatically:

approve visitors before they enter the premises
detect incidents or intruders
configure smart alerts for any device
count or locate missing children during an incident

During this pilot phase, we are working closely with our school-based and community partners in West Virginia to optimize our technology and meet our undeniably high standards of accuracy, speed, and precision.

ROC Watch will be used to identify visitors and help administrators manage building access before guests enter the front office. Through a quick, simple mobile enrollment process, staff and visitors set up a profile within a virtual badgeless visitor management system stored locally with each school.

Last month, ROC Watch became operational at West Fairmont Middle School and Marion County School District. This month, Taylor, Doddridge, and Putnam counties' schools will follow. This process includes software installation to augment existing security camera systems.

The Safer Schools Initiative pilot program's initial rollout was a success. ROC.ai is proud to pioneer proactive technology solutions that address significant national challenges.

"We are thrilled to be working with schools in West Virginia to pilot this important innovation. School safety is a top priority for us. We are dedicated to creating cutting-edge solutions that will help build a safer future for children and educators everywhere," said ROC.ai CEO Scott Swann.

ROC.ai develops unique algorithms that recognize approved and unapproved visitors, manage vehicle access, visually identify long guns, and automatically trigger emergency protocols when threats are detected. We also offer 'faceless' solutions like fingerprint scanning. These automated technologies enhance safety by extending security perimeters around buildings.

Our Safer Schools Initiative moves in lock-step with the West Virginia Governor's statewide WV School Safety Initiative to improve safety and security measures before, during, and after a potential incident.

Some real-life applications of ROC Watch include:

Detection and Prevention
Local law enforcement and school administrators can collaborate on proactive watchlists of prohibited individuals, like discharged employees or expelled students. ROC Watch can automatically restrict access or send alerts to a designated authority.

Crisis Response
ROC Watch can detect a long-gun near a building entrance, automatically restrict access and alert authorities. ROC Watch can also alert if an unapproved visitor is attempting to pick up a child from school, so security or staff can intervene.

Post-Crisis Response
During an evacuation, ROC Watch can quickly count children to ensure no one is missing.

ROC Watch can identify a missing student's current location with or without a face in view, or trace an individual's movement across multiple camera streams.

"We are especially grateful for the early support our pilot initiative has received here in West Virginia. Thank you to Marion County School District Superintendent Donna Heston, Ed.D., as Marion County Schools were the first to sign on as early adopters followed by Taylor County (Superintendent Christy Miller), Doddridge County (Superintendent Adam Cheeseman), and Putnam County (Superintendent John Hudson). ROC also appreciates our US Senators Joe Manchin III, Shelley Moore-Capito, West Virginia Department of Homeland Security, WV State Police, WV Fusion Center, WV Department of Corrections, and the West Virginia State Board of Education for their support, as we gift West Virginia schools with these enhanced security capabilities," shared ROC.ai VP of Congressional Affairs & Community Outreach Jessica Sell.

The Safer Schools Initiative is currently accepting applications from West Virginia school districts interested in collaborating on a smarter, safer future for our students and educators.

School district administrators outside of West Virginia may join our waitlist for updates on future expansions of our Safer Schools Initiative at roc.ai/schools

For partnership opportunities and all other inquiries, please reach out to [email protected]

About Rank One Computing:
Founded in 2015 to build faster, more accurate, and reliable computer vision and biometric algorithms, Rank One Computing continuously raises the bar on American-made, ethically-developed technology solutions. ROC protects millions around the world every day with their industry-leading multimodal software development kit, which powers 3rd-party applications for fraud prevention, commercial security, and criminal investigations, as well as their own growing suite of full-stack video security and live analytics tools. In 2022 Rank One Computing opened its east coast center of excellence in Morgantown, WV staffed by executives, managers, and engineers – all native West Virginians.

Media Contact:
Jessica Sell, Vice President of Congressional Affairs & Community Outreach
949-874-2347
[email protected]

SOURCE Rank One Computing