Evolv "Has Never Stated" They "Could Have Made A Difference in Uvalde"

Evolv has ramped up its school shooter marketing following the mass murder in Uvalde, Texas 10 days ago but Evolv defended its practices, emphasizing to IPVM that they "have never stated that Evolv could have made a difference in Uvalde."

Evolv's marketing tactics, including Evolv's CEO telling investors that they would have found the gun in Uvalde, and Evolv's surging stock price since the mass murder, raises questions about what is appropriate corporate behavior and what can any concealed weapon detection system, Evolv or rival's, do for attacks such as Uvalde.

Evolv CEO, Uvalde, "Would We Have Stopped That?"

Peter George, Evolv's CEO, presented on June 1, 2022 at a Cowen investors conference, speaking to an audience of executives and institutional investors. George specifically addressed the Uvalde tragedy and if Evolv would have "stopped that?" - stating Evolv would have detected the shooter's weapon:

A lot of people asked me the question after what’s happened in Uvalde, would we have stopped that? The answer is when somebody goes through our system and they have a concealed weapon or an open carry weapon, we're gonna find it, period. We won't miss it. [emphasis added]

"Best Time To Prospect"

A week ago, Evolv's Director Revenue Enablement, Jason Mesiarik, declared now the "best time to prospect", liked by Evolv's CMO:

And Evolv continued to market in "light of the continued tragedies", following Uvalde:

Buffalo And Evolv's CEO

Uvalde is the second tragedy in the past month that Evolv's CEO publicly speculated on Evolv's capability to stop it, telling the Washington Post:

When Peter George saw news of the racially motivated mass-shooting at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo May 14, he had a thought he’s often had after such tragedies.

“Could our system have stopped it?” he said. “I don’t know. But I think we could democratize security so that someone planning on hurting people can’t easily go into an unsuspecting place.”

Evolv's Detailed Response

IPVM asked Evolv how their technology would have made a difference in the Uvalde shooting. Evolv explained its position to IPVM, highlighting security factors not related to current Evolv technology, including video AI weapons detection and locking doors:

Peter stated correctly that Evolv would have found that weapon, either concealed or openly carried, and also stated that there are three critical elements to creating a safe physical school environment. First, technology such as video AI at the perimeter to detect a gun outside or near the school. Second, identify any weapon coming into the building, whether concealed or not. Third, make sure the doors are kept locked. It’s also important to establish protocols to respond to the threat, such as apprehension or detainment of the individual. [emphasis added]

Evolv went on to state that IPVM should report all factors if IPVM's goal is to keep the public safe.

When it comes to physical security, it’s important to understand that technology, people and processes all must be working together in order to be effective in mitigating a threat. Any one of those components on its own is not enough. If IPVM's goal is to keep the public safe - and more specifically students and educators - reporting on all three would be beneficial. [emphasis]

George, during the investor presentation, emphasized similarly:

we're an important piece of security puzzle that includes three phases. The first phase is shrink the attack surface, minimize the number of entryways and make sure those doorways have locks and doors. That's number one. Number two, make sure you have technology in there and security guards in case somebody comes through with a weapon. And then finally, make sure you can connect to the video surveillance systems. [emphasis added]

Given Peter George specifically addressed Uvalde in Evolv's presentation, IPVM asked again how Evolv technology would have made a difference, noting IPVM's position it would not. Evolv did not dispute IPVM's conclusion, instead avowing they never stated they could have made a difference:

We have never stated that Evolv could have made a difference in Uvalde. Our system is designed to detect guns among other weapons. We are focused on keeping guns out of schools and are part of a solution that will help in doing so. We have a sense of urgency and duty - as does the rest of the nation - in keeping educators and students safe.

Contradicts Evolv's "Welcoming, Non Prison Like Environment"

Evolv's defense here undermines its regular marketing that Evolv provides a "welcoming", "non prison like" environment, such as claims:

people are choosing not to use conventional technology because nobody wants to make their venue feel like a prison or their school like a prison.

a welcoming, non-prison-like environment for everyone on campus.

[not] creating a prison-like environment that makes students feel like criminals.

However, once one combines Evolv's systems with their admission that this still requires locking down doors, posting security guards (and presumably guards with guns given how mass shooters operate), Evolv's ongoing false alerts and this is creating a prison-like environment.

Higher Costs, More Problems To Secure Schools

Evolv admits a much higher investment is required to secure a school from an active shooter, including automatic locks, minimizing entryways, security guards, and video AI.

For schools considering Evolv, they must carefully weigh the tradeoffs of deploying these additional elements.

Evolv Stock Surges 60%+ Post Uvalde

While Evolv's stock has struggled overall this past year, since closing on the day of the Uvalde shooting (May 24th), the stock has surged, up more than 60%.

The industry should be careful to balance the desire to profit from tragedies with solutions that can legitimately and directly mitigate them.