“Knightscope has a major healthcare provider in California that averaged two criminal activities a week on their property prior to deploying its ASR. In the first year, the client reported a 100% reduction in those activities, and they continue to renew their annual contract annually,” said Stephens.

Numerous researchers recorded increases in attacks during the pandemic, leading healthcare facilities to invest in various resources to help mitigate or prevent violence. One Missouri Hospital equipped its physicians, nurses, and staff members with panic buttons after seeing assaults rise from 40 to 123 in one year.

According to the IAHSS Foundation Crime Survey, attacks are still on the rise, with simple assaults, which were around 10 incidents per 100 beds between 2012 and 2019, now more than double that number. Disorderly conduct is also increasing, having been above 52 incidents per 100 beds in each of the past two years.

Stephens stresses that ASRs are not meant to be a replacement for security personnel but to help amplify security protocols that providers have in place and ensure faster responses to risks or threats.

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