COLUMBUS — Columbus safety officials have begun using a new gunshot-detection system to alert officers to gunfire.
The system, installed by California-based ShotSpotter went live in the Hilltop neighborhood on the West Side Thursday after final testing earlier this week, city officials said.
ShotSpotter records gunfire and sends location information directly to police cruisers in the neighborhood.
Deputy Chief of Police Richard Bash stressed during a demonstration Tuesday that the web-based technology won’t replace the need for residents who hear gunshots to call 911.
“We need the community to remain engaged. Part of the investigation of gunfire includes talking to residents,” he said.
ShotSpotter technology is also being installed in the Linden and South Side neighborhoods.
Officers will get an alert on their cruiser computer terminals within a minute of shots being fired. Specialists monitoring the system in California will use technology to confirm the sound is gunfire before alerting police.
Bash says the system will always be recording, but the city will only receive recordings of gunshots.
The technology is also being installed in Linden and on the South Side.
Similar systems are in operation in more than 80 U.S. cities.