Valley Baptist Church improves security with ZeroEyes gun detection platform

PHILADELPHIA – A house of worship in Bakersfield, Calif., is taking proactive measures to protect churchgoers against the threat of violence with the introduction of ZeroEyes’ AI-powered gun detection and intelligent situational awareness platform.

According to 2021 FBI statistics, just over 14 percent of hate crimes are religion related, and religious buildings and institutions have come under fire including the recent mass shooting in 2022 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Ala. As a result, the Valley Baptist Church has opted to upgrade its security posture with ZeroEyes.

Founded in 1985, the church has expanded to contain four campuses with 15 pastors, 8,000 members, and a pre-school with 280 students. Placing a focus on protecting the church and its people, the congregation has recently hired its first director of safety and security.

“I have an extensive background in law enforcement including service with the FBI, and I can’t overstate how impressed I am with the capability of ZeroEyes’  AI gun-detection solution, as well as the team’s passion,” said Matt Montana, director of safety and security at Valley Baptist Church. “We decided to take this leap with ZeroEyes so that our members can safely practice their religion without fear or disruption.”

ZeroEyes' visual gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software will be layered on Valley Baptist Church’s existing digital security cameras. ZeroEyes stated that If an illegally brandished gun is identified, images will instantly be shared with a specialized group of U.S. military and law enforcement veterans at one of the in-house ZeroEyes Operation Centers (ZOC) that are staffed 24/7/365. Their experts can verify the threat and dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence to local staff and law enforcement in 3-5 seconds from detection.

“The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion to all Americans, and it is saddening that bad actors are infringing on that right with violent acts of hatred and it must stop,” said Mike Lahiff, CEO and co-founder of ZeroEyes. “We are proud that Valley Baptist Church has chosen to implement ZeroEyes to protect against gun-related threats and help ensure a welcoming and safe environment for its congregation.”

Security Systems News reached out to Lahiff for comment on all the recent violence seen during the holidays in the U.S., Lahiff replied, “Over the Independence Day holiday, the U.S. experienced 22 mass shootings, resulting in 20 dead and 126 injured. People should not have to be concerned about gun-related violence on holidays, or any day. It is our mission to help mitigate this violence through proactive AI-driven gun-detection that can detect and alert law enforcement of brandished guns before the first shot is fired. We aim to see a day where a holiday weekend can pass with no news stories on shootings.”

For more information about the ZeroEyes platform, please visit zeroeyes.com.