NEWBURGH – The Newburgh City Police Department has another tool in its
crime-fighting tool kit as the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system went
live on Thursday.
The technology covers some three square miles of the city and provides
real-time alerts to the police department of precisely where and when
gun incidents occur so that officers can respond faster and more safely,
recover evidence such as shell casings or guns, interview witnesses and
ensure timely medical attention for any gunshot victims.
Lieutenant-in-Charge of the department Aaron Weaver said the department
has had “great success in recent years with reducing our gun violence
thanks to state-funded programs like GIVE (Gun Involved Violence Elimination)
and the federally-funded Project Save Neighborhoods program that have
allowed CNPD to focus on social programs and law enforcement partnerships
to combat gun violence.”
Weaver said the ShotSpotter technology is “just one more tool
to help the city achieve greater gun violence reduction while getting
dangerous weapons and criminals off the street.”
ShotSpotter has audio sensors deployed around the city that will detect
gunfire, triangulate the sound, pinpoint the number of shots fired and
the location. The audio data will be analyzed instantly by acoustic experts
and within a minute or less of the shots being fired, officers will be
notified at dispatch centers, patrol cars and smartphones.
