The present invention is directed to a threat detection and notification system which preferably comprises a LIDAR unit capable of detecting an object in its field of view during a first and subsequent refresh scans, and outputting point cloud data representative of the object detected in a refresh frame corresponding to every refresh scan. A server is operatively connected to the LIDAR unit and is capable of receiving the point cloud data and determining, for the object detected within each refresh frame, a predetermined set of object-specific attributes. A user control interface is operatively connected to the server and is capable of creating a watch zone defining an area of interest less than the LIDAR unit's field of view, and is further capable of defining a plurality of watch mode parameters associated with the watch zone. A LIDAR alert engine is operatively connected to the server and is capable of determining whether the object detected in each refresh frame is located within the watch zone, calculating at least one indicant of motion of the object, and comparing at least one object-specific attribute and the at least one indicant of motion of the object to the defined watch mode parameters. The LIDAR alert engine is capable of alerting a predetermined user to the presence of the object in the event the object is within the watch zone and the aforementioned comparison indicates an alert condition.