NEWBURGH – City Manager Michael Ciaravino has signed a contract with the ShotSpotter company to design, develop and install the ShotSpotter system. When operational, pinpoint the exact location in Newburgh where gunfire has occurred within seconds of a bullet flying.
With the survey of the city underway, the high-tech system should assist the police in making arrests in violent crime situations very quickly, said Ciaravino.
“There is a deterrence value, there is a safety standard that brings people and holds them accountable and where we have used ShotSpotter technology used in other places, it has reduced gun involved violence by 30 percent,” the city manager said. “Knowing what our Newburgh Police Department has done, I believe that that technology will be harnessed for something over 30 percent.”
It will cost the city $432,000 for the program for 18 months. The city must now look for other funding sources to continue it beyond that time frame.
