School AI flags chips as weapon, teen detained by armed police

A Baltimore County Public Schools AI monitoring system mistakenly identified a student’s bag of chips as a firearm, leading to the 16-year-old being detained by police with weapons drawn outside Kenwood High School. The incident has sparked calls from community members and lawmakers for a comprehensive review of the Omnilert AI security system, though Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers defended the technology and rejected demands for a full evaluation.

What happened: After football practice Monday evening, 16-year-old Taki Allen was eating chips outside Kenwood High School when police officers surrounded him with weapons drawn and ordered him to the ground.

• The AI alert system flagged Allen’s bag of chips as a potential firearm, prompting administrators to notify safety officers.
• Officers responded to what they believed was a gun threat based on the AI system’s warning.
• The student was detained until officers realized the object was food, not a weapon.

The system’s response: Both school officials and Omnilert, the company behind the AI monitoring software, characterized the incident as the technology working as designed.

• Superintendent Rogers said the program “did what it was supposed to do” by sending an alert to administrators and safety officers.
• Omnilert acknowledged the alert was a “false positive” but maintained the system responded according to its programming.
• Rogers emphasized that the system’s purpose is “to keep all of our schools safe, all of our students safe.”

Growing backlash: Community members and lawmakers are demanding a thorough review of the AI monitoring system following the incident.

• Rogers rejected calls for a comprehensive evaluation, claiming she and her staff already review the system regularly.
• Kenwood High School Principal Kate Smith acknowledged how “upsetting this was for the individual that was searched as well as the other students who witnessed the incident.”
• The school is providing counseling support to students who were involved or witnessed the detention.

What they’re saying: School officials expressed regret while defending their security measures.

• “It’s truly unfortunate — we never want any student, whether it’s during school hours or not, to be in a situation that is frightening,” Rogers said at a Thursday press conference.
• “Our counselors will provide direct support to the students who were involved,” Principal Smith wrote in a statement following the incident.