HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Four weapons have been found between two high schools in the first two months after new security systems were installed at schools across Henrico County.
Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) installed free-standing weapon scanners at all of its high schools at the beginning of this school year. So far, the weapons scanners detected four items in separate incidents, all of which were confiscated.
A taser and pepper spray were found at J.R. Tucker High School — and pepper spray was found at Highland Springs High School twice.
The new security measure follows multiple incidents involving threats and the recovery of firearms from Henrico’s schools. During the 2022-2023 school year, HCPS recovered seven guns. In the 2021-2022 school year, the district recovered 87 weapons — nine of which were guns.
A spokesperson for HCPS told 8News the school district plans to install the weapon detection system at all of the middle schools by Thanksgiving Day. They also plan to phase in weapon scanners at the elementary schools as equipment comes in from the supplier.
