AI alert system that mistook student’s Doritos for a gun shuts down another school

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An AI-powered security system incorrectly identified a bag of Doritos as a gun, leading to another false alarm and a police search of a high school in Baltimore County.

On November 7th, police went to Parkville High School after the district’s AI safety system, Omnilert, indicated a possible weapon was present. Officers arrived around 5 p.m. and moved students to a safe location while searching the school building.

According to Baltimore County Police, no threat was found.

Parkville Principal Maureen Astarita informed families that police conducted a safety check as a precaution. Students were moved to a secure location while officers searched the school.

AI security system keeps triggering false alarms

This happened just weeks after Omnilert mistakenly thought a Kenwood High School student was carrying a gun – it turned out to be a bag of Doritos. This led to police rushing to the scene and surrounding the student.

The company acknowledged the alert was an error, but maintained the system worked correctly. They explained its purpose is to quickly flag potential issues for review by people.

Last year, Baltimore County Public Schools began using Omnilert, a system that detects potential weapons in live security footage. When a possible weapon is spotted, the system automatically alerts the police.

Although no students actually saw armed police this time, the two false alarms in a row are causing worry about how AI is being used for school security. After the first incident, which involved a false report about Doritos, school officials promised to have more people double-check AI-generated alerts and to provide yearly training so police aren’t sent to a potential problem before it’s confirmed.

With Baltimore schools frequently going into emergency mode due to Omnilert alerts, officials are likely to take a closer look at the system.

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2025-11-11 22:18