ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on Aug. 2, 2024.
Three weeks into the 2024-25 school year, no weapons have been found by the new metal detectors in the Rock Island-Milan School District.
The detectors were installed over the summer at Rock Island High School and the district's two junior highs, Washington and Edison.
A district spokesperson told News 8 that the first week brought "growing pains as expected. It was a learning process for all stakeholders to adjust to a new layer of security."
The district's policy is to notify police if a weapon is detected and police will confiscate the items.
News 8 filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information from the Rock Island Police Department, requesting any reports of weapons found at the three schools for the first three weeks of school. The district started its school year on Monday, Aug. 5.
The police department stated that "no reports were found" in regards to this inquiry.
The district spent about $400,000 on the installation of the Evolv weapon detectors.
News 8 spoke with District Safety Manager Charles Butler as the devices were being tested shortly before the school year began. Butler said the devices are a response to violence in schools around the country.
"I can speak nationally that schools across the nation have experienced lots of violence on campus, football games, basketball games, and some inside the building," Butler said.
That's why the district plans to use the detectors for sporting events, along with use during school hours.
"You can't learn if you're not safe, you can't teach if you're not safe," Butler said. "So we want to ensure that everyone can come into our building and not have the anxiety of not being safe."