GET DAILY REPORT FREE
Local business, community and political leaders convened Wednesday to discuss how the Page/Rice Public Safety Initiative is evolving with the launch of ZeroEyes AI gun detection software in Baton Rouge.
Launched in 2021 and rebranded as the Page/Rice Camera Initiative in 2022, the program is a partnership of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Baton Rouge Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Foundation and local law enforcement. It was named in honor of 3-year-old Devin Page Jr. and LSU student Allie Rice, both of whom lost their lives to gun violence in 2022.
ZeroEyes was founded in 2018 following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The company uses AI to detect brandished firearms within view of any camera equipped with its technology. If a gun is identified, images are instantly shared with the ZeroEyes Operations Center, staffed by trained U.S. military and law enforcement veterans. If they determine the threat is valid, they dispatch information, including a visual description and gun type, to local law enforcement and staff in as quickly as 3 to 5 seconds.
The LECJ Foundation plans to expand the use of ZeroEyes’ software throughout Baton Rouge after its initial introduction to the community.
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome says the Baton Rouge Police Department has access to more than 200 license plate readers and 200 security cameras throughout the city. Her administration has invested nearly $1 million in crime-fighting technology over the past three years.
“The work being done with the foundation and public partnerships have significantly increased the different types of technologies that are used throughout the city and parish,” says BRPD Deputy Chief Neal Noel. “ZeroEyes expands the capabilities of existing shared assets by providing an additional layer of smart technology. We have over 100 special events in the downtown area alone every year. It is important.”
Through the Page/Rice Public Safety Initiative’s partnership with Visit Baton Rouge, officials have identified 21 additional locations where the technology would help solve crimes. Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Jill Kidder says 11 monitored safety cameras have already been installed at local hotels and popular tourist attractions.
ExxonMobil has also spent $75,000 on cameras for its north Baton Rouge facility and has donated six additional cameras to neighborhoods in the 70805 ZIP code.
Through the initiative, any Baton Rouge business can purchase a camera for its property or donate funds for other businesses to be gifted with the technology. Eligible businesses can also apply to host a camera free of charge.
Earlier this year, Business Report sat down with officials to discuss the Page/Rice Camera Initiative. Learn more in an episode of Business Report’s multimedia series Bottom Line.
