California School’s New Security System Pinpoints Gunfire

Newark Memorial High School has installed ShotSpotter, which uses microphones to detect gunshots and can triangulate the shooter's location.
Published: June 22, 2015

NEWARK, Calif. – Newark Memorial High School has become the first high school in the nation to install a high-tech system designed to pinpoint the location of gunfire.

The school has installed ShotSpotter, which works by using sets of microphones arranged around 25 buildings on the 44-acre campus, The Verge reports.

If three microphones pick up the gunshot, the system can triangulate the shooter’s location. Once the system detects a firearm, it will send an alarm and the location of the shot to authorities immediately.

Officials hope the system will limit casualties if an active shooter attack occurs on campus.

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The school hasn’t disclosed how much the installation costs, but it reportedly totals less than $20,000.

ShotSpotter has been installed in several cities across the United States, including New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Oakland, Minneapolis, and more.

While Newark Memorial is the first high school to install the ShotSpotter, Savannah College of Art and Design was actually the first educational institute to install the system in 2014.

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