Surveillance System Aims To Curb Gunfire
An increase in gun violence in North Charleston, S.C., in recent years has prompted the local police to test the ShotSpotter system, which had its trial run in Redwood City, Calif., in the mid-1990s.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is overseeing the test of the state-of-the-art surveillance system, which is designed to detect gunfire and route officers to the scene of the shooting within minutes. T
The ShotSpotter system makes use of microphones that are strategically placed in discreet locations in areas that are prone to gun violence, and its integration with computer technology allows the system to calculate the position of the shooter using triangulation.
In addition to delivering the probable location of the shooter, the system can produce a sound recording of gunfire and the time of the shots.
North Charleston Police Cpl. Joyce Burrell says the ShotSpotter technology should help officers arrive at locations more quickly, and could even discourage people from using firearms.
Los Angeles County has used the technology and has seen a 60 percent decline in gunfire in targeted areas. Meanwhile, Charleston is currently installing the ShotSpotter system, and is expecting to roll out the technology in the spring.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Charleston Post and Courier (SC) (01/29/03) P. 1A; Smith, Glenn. http://charleston.net/stories/012903/loc_29shotspot.shtml
