Leon Schools taps into high-tech donation to tackle weapon threats at football games

After fights at a pre-season game and several instances of spectators bringing guns to high school football games, Leon County Schools has deployed a high-tech threat protection system to help eliminate the presence of weapons.

MIS Security, a company owned by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Rick Kearney, donated one of its new metal detectors to LCS as a way to deter violence and streamline the screening process before games.

"(Gun violence) is everywhere, but when I saw it in our own community I thought 'Enough is enough, let's put our product in there,'" Kearney said. "It just made perfect sense."

Rickards and Wakulla High School fans were greeted last week at the entrance of Gene Cox Stadium Friday by the company's technology that made its LCS debut.

In late August, school officials deployed an old school metal detector and handheld wands after fights in the stands at Gene Cox and rumors of a gun and shooting led to a Friday night panic. Crowds fled the stadium and officials canceled the game at halftime.

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In the days after, Superintendent Rocky Hanna vowed to beef up security and crack down on students "looking to have a fight and cause chaos."

Sine then, it's not been uncommon for fans to wait anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to be screened before grabbing seats to cheer on their favorite teams, said Marsha Nelson, a Rickards fan.

The new system was notably faster, she said, but she thinks having two operating in tandem would be even better. However, it's great having this extra security measure, she said.

Only one person at a time can walk through the new system, but it is designed to solely detect things like guns and knives to cut down on the number of ordinary items that typically set off a metal detector, Kearney said. You can walk through without being flagged for phones, keys, belts and other items, he said.

It is comprised of two portable, sleek posts with a camera stationed nearby to identify threatening objects as a person approaches and walks through. The camera's feed can be viewed and controlled on a TV or computer screen, and it circles the object that is flagged by the system.

Anything within six feet above the tops of the posts and four feet around the sides of the posts will be detected, said Josh Stockman, MIS Security's director of sales and service. The level of sensitivity can be adjusted, which determines what things will be flagged.

A lower sensitivity level broadens the scope of what will be marked by the machine, Stockman said. If flagged, the person is subject to a subsequent search by a law enforcement officer.

Many football fans with portable bleacher chairs were stopped, but Stockman said he likes erring on the side of caution by starting with a lower sensitivity level and gradually increasing it to find a good balance.

Even with the occasional spectator needing an extra search, the screening process is much more time effective than other products, he said. When Brightline, one of the company's major customers, launched its new extension connecting Miami to Orlando last month, they were able to screen over four million people across 16 of the threat protection systems, he said.

Jimmy Williams, chief of safety, security and emergency management for LCS, said the district is beyond grateful for Kearney's donation. LCS plans to use the weapon scanner at every sporting event to take the field at Gene Cox Stadium.

"It allows high volume screening for weapons detection (and doesn't) inconvenience our fans upon arrival," Williams said.

It has been three weeks since weapons detection screening was made mandatory before entering a LCS sporting event, and by far, Friday night was the fastest screening the schools have seen, he said.

"It's a great addition and another very important layer to our overarching comprehensive security plan for our district," he said.

The security upgrade follows a string of incidents that alarmed school officials.

On Aug. 18, fights between students broke out in the stands and rumors of a weapon sparked panic among the fans. Two teens were arrested, and one had an airsoft gun tucked in his waistband.

A few weeks later, the Leon County Sheriff's Office arrested a 37-year-old after he tried to enter the stadium with an airsoft gun in a backpack.

Prior to these cases, a teen in 2022 was arrested for bringing a loaded handgun to the stadium.

Kearney said he thinks these systems should have the same effect that a house alarm system does. If a burglar notices the presence of the alarm, they will go somewhere, he said.

"The number one thing is when people realize that we have these threat detection systems in our schools and in our football fields and our parks and so forth, they're not going to bring bad behavior," he said. "I think it will be a deterrent."

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on Twitter @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon Schools gets donated high-tech MIS Security weapons scanner