The Buffalo News reports that come next fall, facial recognition software will be installed in all Lockport public schools.
Lockport will spend $1.4 million of the state's money on the Aegis system, from SN Technologies of Ganonoque, Ont., in all 10 district buildings this summer. It's part of a $2.75 million security system that includes 300 digital video cameras. [...]
What it can do is alert officials if someone whose photo has been programmed into the system – a registered sex offender, wanted criminal, non-custodial parent, expelled student or disgruntled former employee – comes into range of one of the 300 high-resolution digital cameras.
"A school is now a target, unfortunately," said Robert L. LiPuma, Lockport's technology director. "Based on recommendations, things we saw, drills we did, pilots we did, we assessed all of that and we thought this was the best option, economically and responsibly, for the safety of our community."
If a known bad guy is spotted, or a gun or other weapon is visible to the system's cameras, the software could flash an alarm to any district officials connected to it, and also to police.
In addition to scanning faces and objects in the school for known security threats, other administrators also anticipate using the cameras and algorithms to investigate breaches of school discipline.
"If we had a student who committed some type of offense against the code of conduct, we can follow that student throughout the day to see maybe who they interacted with, where they were prior to the incident, where they went after the incident, so forensically we could also use the software in that capacity as well," [Depew Superintendent Jeffrey R. Rabey] said.
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On this date at Daily Kos in 2004—Ahmed Chalabi Get a Night-time Visit:
If it were not for all awfulness in the news coming out of Iraq, it would be almost impossible to suppress some glee at the fork-tongued Ahmed Chalabi’s current predicament. With a host of enemies in his homeland, and Bush allegedly telling King Abdullah he could “piss” on him, Chalabi now has to contend with armed searches of his house in the dead of the night.
As a result of the raid, Chalabi says he has cut off relations with the U.S.-guided Coalition Provisional Aurhority. "I am America's best friend in Iraq;” Chalabi said, and “if the CPA finds it necessary to direct an armed attack against my home, you can see the state of relations between the CPA and the Iraqi people."
Uh-huh. And I have a bridge over the Euphrates I’d like to sell you.
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