Gunshots can now be traced by their sound to help law enforcement. ShotSpotter, a combination of new software and sensors, will help police track down gunfire and respond much faster than before.
The ShotSpotter Gunfire Alert & Analysis Solution has been fully implemented and is helping officers with investigations in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The system was made possible thanks to a $350,000 grant that the Rocky Mount police received from the U.S. Justice Department. The initial funds were enough to cover a one mile radius with the new technology. City Council allocated almost $12,000 to expand the coverage of the ShotSpotter technology to a three-mile radius.
The ShotSpotter system uses acoustic sensors to gain an accurate reading of the gunfire. The sensors are not located on the police cars but all over the city in hidden locations. The system triangulates positions within five feet, even rating the caliber of the gun.
Sgt Kevin Bern with the Rocky Mount Police said that it was already helping them solve cases. He added that anything red with an ‘M’ means multiple gun shots. So, if a call comes out, what's going to pop up is a big red bar on the screen at dispatch and a sound to alert the dispatcher that, ‘hey’ the system just detected gun shots out in the community. It gives officers a better awareness of what they're going into he added.