BOTHELL, Wash. — Canyon Hills Community Church has deployed ZeroEyes’ proactive gun detection and intelligent situation awareness solution to protect its congregation against gun-related threats.
Located in the suburbs 30 minutes north of Seattle, Canyon Hills Community Church is a non-denominational, elder-led, Bible-teaching church founded in 1995. Since then, it has grown to host more than 4,000 people each weekend and several hundred during the week for Bible study and youth groups.
According to the United States Justice Department, 17.3% of all hate crimes were motivated by bias against religion. Furthermore, data from The ZeroEyes Gun Violence Research Center indicates that, of analyzed incidents involving religious organizations, 38% of shooters had no affiliation with the place of worship.
Why Canyon Hills Chose ZeroEyes
As it continues to grow, Canyon Hills Community Church has expanded its security strategy to include ZeroEyes’ proactive solution. This decision reflects the church’s philosophy that while the building serves as a place of worship, the true priority is the safety and well-being of its people.
“Our commitment to creating a secure environment for worship and fellowship has never been stronger,” says Jon Huff, operations director at Canyon Hills Community Church. “As protectors of our flock, we’ve always prioritized the safety of our community.
“We are equipped to not only react to potential threats but to prevent them, helping to ensure peace of mind for everyone who walks through our doors,” he says.
ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness software layers onto existing digital security cameras. If a gun is identified, images are instantly shared with the ZeroEyes Operations Center (ZOC), staffed 24/7/365 by specially trained U.S. military and law enforcement veterans.
If these experts determine that the threat is valid, they dispatch alerts and actionable intelligence — including visual description, gun type, and last known location — to local law enforcement and church staff as quickly as 3 to 5 seconds from detection.
“At a time when places of worship are experiencing increased hostility and threats, Canyon Hills Community Church is setting a standard for others to follow,” says Mike Lahiff, CEO of ZeroEyes. “We’re honored to be the first proactive security technology they’ve adopted, and we commend them for their efforts to ensure a safe environment for their members.”
