The city of New Bedford, MA, announced that it has partnered with ShotSpotter, the world leader in wide-area acoustic surveillance and gunshot detection and location technology, in support of its efforts to fight gun and gang violence. The New Bedford Police Department will use the ShotSpotter Qualified Alerts Service for real-time validation of gunshot location data, enabling accurate decisions for faster emergency response, helping improve situational intelligence and elevating first responder safety.
The city of New Bedford, MA, announced that it has partnered with ShotSpotter, the world leader in wide-area acoustic surveillance and gunshot detection and location technology, in support of its efforts to fight gun and gang violence. The New Bedford Police Department will use the ShotSpotter Qualified Alerts Service for real-time validation of gunshot location data, enabling accurate decisions for faster emergency response, helping improve situational intelligence and elevating first responder safety. The SST gunfire alert data and intelligence will help New Bedford PD by providing more information and forensic evidence for investigations and analysis, leading to increased prosecutions for gun-related crime. The data also enables enhanced crime analysis and predictive policing capabilities, helping improve public safety and security.
The city of New Bedford has undertaken a comprehensive approach to resolving its crime problem, and has collaborated with various groups including the New Bedford Police Department, municipal government, community organizations and service agencies, all working together to rid the community of violence. The New Bedford Police Department is partnering with SST to deploy the technology in areas with high incidents of gunfire. Under the partnership, all gunfire incidents detected by the gunshot detection system will be immediately reviewed and qualified by SST gunfire and acoustic experts and then quickly sent to New Bedford police dispatchers. This process provides the New Bedford Police Department with the intelligence needed to respond to illegal gunfire faster and safer, conduct more informed investigations, and strengthen the prosecution of those charged with gun crime.
“We're confident that our use of SST and the expertise and information provided by their incident qualification team will have a tremendous impact on our efforts to eliminate illegal gunfire in New Bedford,” said Mayor Scott W. Lang. “It is important that law-abiding members of the community know that we are committed to using the most cutting edge technology to stop gun violence. It's equally important for those who commit acts of gun violence to know that we have the intelligence to detect gunfire and if they fire a gun illegally, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Helping communities throughout the world become safer by eliminating gun and gang violence is our mission at ShotSpotter,” said Ralph A. Clark, President and CEO of ShotSpotter. “Our goal is to help improve public and community safety. We're honored to work with New Bedford and any community that has a gun violence problem, and are committed to providing them the critical information and expertise needed to eliminate gun crime.” Located in south eastern Massachusetts, the city of New Bedford covers over 24 square miles and has a population of more than 101,000 residents.