Schools Are Testing Pepper-Spraying, Strobe-Flashing Drones to Stop Shooters
Teachers can summon the nonlethal drones in seconds as state pilots test whether they can stop active shooters before officers arrive.
- Nine schools across Florida, Georgia, and Colorado are launching pilot programs using Campus Guardian Angel drones from Austin-based Mithril Defense, designed to intervene in active shooter scenarios using strobes, sirens, and pepper gel.
- Inspired by the 2022 Uvalde school massacre, Mithril Defense CEO Justin Marston developed the system to provide immediate nonlethal intervention, with drones capable of ramming targets at speeds of up to 70 mph.
- State legislatures approved $557,000 for Florida pilot sites including Deltona High School and roughly $500,000 for five Georgia campuses, while Colorado's John Adams Academy will self-fund its inaugural program.
- Safety consultant Curtis Lavarello of the School Safety Advocacy Council warned that drones might accidentally target innocent students, while Jaclyn Corin, co-founder of March for Our Lives, advocated for preventative policies instead.
- Nearly 400,000 students have experienced gun violence since 1999, fueling a multibillion-dollar school security industry; some parents like Nicole Lawrence support testing the technology, while others question the investment.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Learn how three Florida schools will test pepper gel drones to face active shooters and assist until the police arrive.
Schools in the states of Colorado, Florida and Georgia will test the new drones.
Nine institutions - five in Georgia, three in Florida and one in Colorado - will be provided: they can be activated by teachers to attack the bombers and spray them with chili pepper
Drones in the Hallways? How Florida Schools Are Using Pepper-Spraying Tech to Stop Active Shooters
When you think about school safety measures, you probably picture locked doors, visitor check-ins, or security cameras mounted in the hallway. You probably do not picture an autonomous flying robot zooming down the hall at high speed, ready to smash through classroom windows or spray pepper gel at an intruder. Yet, that is precisely the reality unfolding in select school districts across the country. As school boards scramble to find faster ways…
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