The technology uses acoustic sensors to detect the sound of gunshots and triangulate their location.
A technology that allows police to remotely detect gunfire is going to cover a third of New Haven.
Police Chief Dean Esserman told the New Haven Register that ShotSpotter will cover five square miles by October -- more than tripling its current coverage.
The technology employs an array of acoustic sensors spread across the city to detect the sound of gunshots and triangulate their location. According to the ShotSpotter website, the system can pinpoint the specific street address at which shots were fired.
New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman on using ShotSpotter to supplement community policing efforts http://t.co/2lH3a2udmH
— Law Officer (@LawOfficer) April 27, 2015
New Haven has utilized ShotSpotter over the last six years and has spent nearly $50,000 annually on the technology. That number is expected to grow to $220,000 with this expansion.
Officers will now be able to receive ShotSpotter information directly to their phones as text alerts. They plan to use that information to investigate shootings within 48 hours of detected incidents, and to continue to work with communities following episodes of gunfire.
Esserman said he believes the technology's expansion will be fully operational within three months of July 1.
Watch below for an overview of ShotSpotter technology.
This report contains information from the Associated Press. Charlie Smart is a WNPR intern.
