Deep Sentinel’s FlashBang security does more than just call the cops

Deep Sentinel, the security provider whose camera-based security system is designed to thwart crime with the help of AI and 24/7 monitoring by live guards, is testing a radically new response to break-ins. If intruders don’t heed a guards’ warnings to leave, Deep Sentinel’s FlashBang system will douse the miscreants with pepper spray, choke them with smoke bombs, blind them with flashing high-intensity lights, and punish their eardrums with high-decibel, high-pitched sirens.

Deep Sentinel co-founder and CEO Dave Selinger says FlashBang is a response to business customers, particularly those operating in high-risk industries such as cannabis and luxury retail stores, looking for a more aggressive response to increasingly brazen criminals. These days, the more traditional deterrents–including sirens, real-time voice warnings, and even police dispatch requests–are proving insufficient.

“We’re seeing crimes like ram-raiding,” Selinger said. “By the time the person shows up with their car to drive it through the front door, telling them that the police are on the way isn’t going to slow them down.”

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

How FlashBang works

Deep Sentinel’s core service is a combination of power-over-ethernet (PoE) or wireless cameras, a proprietary artificial intelligence tuned to identify suspicious and criminal behavior, and a professional live guard station. When the AI system identifies suspicious activity captured by a camera, a human guard reviews it and when necessary, intervenes using two-way audio to encourage the person to leave the premises. If the intruder refuses to leave, the guard contacts local law enforcement and lets the person on the other side of the camera know that the police are on the way while continuing to monitor them.

Selinger said these measures work in the majority of cases. FlashBang was developed for the smaller percentage of cases where they don’t.

FlashBang’s four deterrent options work as a series of escalating steps starting with the siren. Selinger explained that the siren uses a specific set of ultra-high frequencies that disrupt the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Tests have shown that it’s more disruptive to the brain at one-tenth the volume of traditional sirens.

To enhance the effect, the siren can be paired with an ultra-bright strobe light, capable of illuminating thousands of square feet. According to tests conducted by Deep Sentinel, this combination of auditory and visual signals overwhelms the intruder’s senses, with subjects experiencing a strong fight-or-flight response. Selinger said that when he subjected himself to the strobe light, he felt nauseous and dizzy within five seconds.

For even more extreme situations, FlashBang includes a smoke machine and a pepper spray system. The smoke machine uses an incendiary mechanism, similar to a firework, to rapidly fill a space with smoke. In just 12 to 15 seconds, it can cover an area of 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, creating an immediate and effective visual barrier. This method has proven to be a highly effective deterrent in European jewelry stores, Selinger said. Deep Sentinel has refined the approach by reducing the amount of leftover ash to cover no more than 10 square feet, ensuring the smoke disrupts while leaving minimal residue.

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

Recognizing that some intruders won’t be deterred by auditory or visual signals alone, Deep Sentinel developed a pepper spray system to address the most persistent threats. Unlike personal pepper spray canisters that typically hold about a quarter of an ounce, FlashBang’s deployment mechanism holds a full eight ounces, the equivalent of about 30 personal pepper spray devices. It takes approximately 30 seconds to fully deploy, covering an area of about 2,000 square feet. The spray not only inflicts severe irritation and coughing to incapacitate intruders, but it also renders the area uninhabitable for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on ventilation.

With the detection of a suspected crime in progress, FlashBang’s series of graduated deterrents are activated, following to a strict protocol: Live guards monitor the situation in real time, assessing the threat level before taking action. Deep Sentinel’s system won’t allow FlashBang’s more extreme measures–such as pepper spray–can’t be brought to bear before intruders are given a clear warning and an opportunity to leave the premises. The system won’t take further actions until those warnings are issued and responded to.

How does FlashBang compare to other DIY security systems?

When Deep Sentinel released its security camera system, it immediately stood out in the security camera market because of its unique combination of cutting-edge AI technology and live professional monitoring.

At the heart of Deep Sentinel’s advantage is real-time human intervention. Most DIY security systems rely solely on motion detection and alert notifications to alert users to suspicious activity, leaving it to the end user to respond–when and if they’re able. Deep Sentinel uses live guards to monitor camera feeds, intervening within 5 to 10 seconds if they detect suspicious activity.

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel

Deep Sentinel’s implementation of AI further distinguishes the system from its competitors. While many off-the-shelf security systems employ AI to detect motion, Deep Sentinel’s AI is specifically trained to recognize potential criminal activity. It can differentiate between routine movements and actions that suggest a threat, escalating only relevant alerts to the live guards, ensuring a greater level of efficiency and reliability.

With the introduction of the Flash Bang, Deep Sentinel is setting another new standard in the DIY security market. Its features go beyond passive monitoring, providing an active defense mechanism not found in other DIY systems. With ram-raiding, smash-and-grab burglaries, and other brazen retail theft becoming more prevalent, FlashBang’s proactive deterrent measures should be very attractive to business users.

When will FlashBang be available?

The initial rollout of the FlashBang is limited to California, where the company has conducted thorough legal analyses and engaged with local authorities to ensure the system complies with state laws. Deep Sentinel plans to expand the availability of FlashBang in other states based on user feedback and legal considerations.

For the time being, FlashBang is available only to Deep Sentinel business customers with a PoE system and an active subscription to its LiveSentinel guard service. There is no official release date or pricing information yet, but you can sign up for the waitlist at the Deep Sentinel website. Availability for users with wireless camera systems is in the works.

Selinger said that there is demand for a FlashBang product for residential users, but the company is focusing only on business customers for now.