Miami-Dade police

Miami-Dade Police To Use Shot Spotter Technology

A new hi-tech program will help the Miami-Dade Police Department better respond to gun violence.

It's called the acoustic gunshot detection solution or shot spotter.

Miami-Dade County commissioners approved a $5.6 million 10-year contract to roll out the new technology by the end of the year.

The shot spotters can narrow in on exactly where the sounds of gunshots are heard in real-time.

The devices allow officers to respond to the scenes faster.

"If a round goes off within 25 to 50 feet, we'll be able to tell where that gunshot went off in the particular area where they are deployed.Not only that, it also picks up sound that we can go back and listen to so that if there's a name that's called out or there's any conversation that occur while the shootings are going on, we can listen to those also," explained Miami-Dade Police Director Juan J. Perez.

ShotSpotter officials say that the system does not pick up normal conversations, only voices that may be louder than a gunshot.

The shot spotters will be placed in three high crime neighborhoods, including Liberty City and the southeast end of Miami-Dade.

The technology will be incorporated into it's existing system of street cameras.

Officers will also be able to monitor the devices in their real-time crime center.

"We're going to deploy these tools to be able to expeditiously get that out to the community and those that have the greatest need, the areas which have the most violence," said Perez.

The shot spotter technology is already being used in 90 other cities, including Miami and Miami Gardens.

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