BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) - A federal grant may pay for a gunshot detection system as a way to monitor a four-square-mile area of Bradenton that’s responsible for 80 percent of its violent crime.
The system consists of sound sensors mounted throughout a portion of the city, coupled with an off-site 24/7 monitoring service, whose technicians immediately notify police when their sensors detect gunfire. Bradenton police are considering whether to buy the system.
When the system hears a shot, the officers receive a near-instant alert in their patrol cars through their onboard computers.
The first year could cost $270,000 for installation, training and monitoring.
The Herald Tribune reports (https://bit.ly/1l59mEt) that the system is being evaluated by other law enforcement agencies and scrutinized by civil rights watchdogs.
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Information from: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, https://www.heraldtribune.com
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