City of Hobbs deploying AI gun detection software city-wide

HOBBS, New Mexico (KCBD) - The City of Hobbs is setting up AI gun detection software in cameras across the city.

Called ZeroEyes, the software will now be implemented on all city cameras in Hobbs, including city parks, traffic lights and all city buildings in hopes to protect citizens and give officers the upper hand when it comes to gun violence.

“The way this system works is it detects what it believes to be a firearm, it alerts ZeroEyes, and then they turn around and alert us if they believe it’s something we actually need to look into,” Sergeant Brendan Ingley with the Hobbs Police Department said.

It is a software Hobbs PD is no stranger to; Hobbs Municipal Schools started using ZeroEyes in the fall of last year. Ingley stated its success is what led to the city-wide deployment.

“The push for trying to make everything safer. Our parks, our city buildings, anywhere someone might come in carrying a firearm; we found it to be really positive in the schools,” said Ingley.

ZeroEyes will be implemented on nearly 1,000 existing security cameras within the city. Although it is legal to open carry in New Mexico, ZeroEyes only detects guns that are outside of a holster. Ingley stated it is an added layer of protection for public and officer safety.

“It is definitely going to let us get ahead of a call, maybe even alert us to a call we don’t know about. A situation that is going on that no one has been able to notify us about, a park you’ve got someone with a gun and they’re not able to break away and get to a phone, it lets us know,” said Ingley.

Ingley stated Hobbs is one of the first cities in the area to deploy ZeroEyes city-wide. He says he hopes Hobbs will be a model for other agencies and cities to follow.

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