City of Newark and ShotSpotter Zero in on Gun Violence with the Community Foundation of New Jersey
ShotSpotter's Crime-Fighting Technology Helps Newark Police Department Reduce Gun Violence
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Community Foundation of New Jersey, on behalf of the City of Newark and the Newark Police Department, has awarded ShotSpotter a sole-source contract to deploy the wireless ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System(R) (GLS) in the City. The technology alerts law enforcement officials to the location of gunfire within seconds with pinpoint accuracy, helping to reduce gun violence. The Newark deployment represents the third ShotSpotter system installation in the State of New Jersey. ShotSpotter, Inc. is a global leader in interoperable, net-centric gunshot, sniper-detection and location systems for law enforcement and military markets.
The ShotSpotter GLS(R) system will protect a seven-square-mile area within the City of Newark providing real-time gunshot data including shooter location, number of shooters, whether the shooter was stationary or in motion, and the number of shots fired. Detailed incident and forensic data will be provided for use in arrest and prosecutions.
"Using this sonic technology will help our law enforcement agencies respond to and eliminate incidents of gun violence in the City of Newark. I am proud to call ShotSpotter a partner in our efforts to make Newark set the national standard for urban transformation," Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker said.
"City leaders must continually innovate and implement new solutions to combat the epidemic of gun violence," said James G. Beldock, ShotSpotter's president and CEO. "Mayor Booker and his administration have already proven their dedication to innovative policing techniques, and the ShotSpotter system will enable Newark police not only to respond to gunfire more effectively and with improved situational awareness, but it will also allow them to exercise innovative new tactics to root out gun violence within Newark."
Newark selected the ShotSpotter wireless GLS after a rigorous evaluation and analysis of the gunshot detection and location market that included interviewing cities that have purchased technology throughout the U.S. for customer satisfaction, product reliability and violent gunshot related crime reductions.
The system was 100 percent funded through private donations raised by the Community Foundation of New Jersey that approved and secured $1.2 million for the system.
Currently ShotSpotter is deployed in more than 29 major U.S. cities. The system was recently credited with alerting San Francisco, California, police of a teen shooting incident that resulted in helping police and crime scene investigators find the location of the crime scene and seize physical evidence, even though the victim had left the scene and was found a block away.
About City of Newark, New Jersey
The nation's third-oldest major city, Newark, New Jersey was founded in 1666 by Connecticut Puritans seeking religious freedom. Over the next three centuries, Newark became a major industrial, transportation, and financial center, as well as New Jersey's largest city. Some of Newark's greatest natives include author Philip Roth, singer Sarah Vaughan, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, and entertainers Queen Latifah and Whitney Houston. Today with a population of 281,000, Newark is home to one of the busiest seaports and airports in the United States, as well as major corporations like Prudential, PSE&G, IDT, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey. It is also a major center for the arts, with the internationally-known Newark Museum, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Newark Symphony Hall, home to six universities, and entertainment, with an array of restaurants, parks, and the recently-opened Prudential Center, home of the three-time NHL Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils. Under the leadership of Mayor Cory A. Booker, Newark has seen dramatic reductions in crime, increases in housing and commercial development, the launching of groundbreaking initiatives and partnerships to dramatically transform the City, and major improvements to the quality of life for its diverse residents. These works are central to achieving Mayor Booker's vision of Newark as "America's leading urban city in safety, prosperity, and the nurturing of family life."
About ShotSpotter, Inc.
ShotSpotter is an industry leader in the development of innovative, interoperable net-centric gunshot, sniper-detection and location systems for the law enforcement and military markets. The company's focus on ingenuity and technological vision drives its continuing mission to create invaluable solutions that reduce gunfire and gun violence while improving the safety of first responders on the street and soldiers on the front. Currently, the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System(R) protects many cities nationwide, consistently producing arrests and weapons confiscations. Its individually worn sniper detection and location system identifies and tracks friendly military forces, providing dismounted forces with real-time situational awareness (SA) to aid in maneuvers, reduce fratricide, add to a mission's common operating picture, and support after-action review. Information about ShotSpotter can be found at www.shotspotter.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://www.shotspotter.com/news/index.html.
(C)2008 ShotSpotter, Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,973,998; 6,847,587;7,139,222; 7,266,045; and other foreign and domestic patents pending. ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System(R) is a registered trademark of, and the ShotSpotter logo is a trademark of ShotSpotter, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
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Source: ShotSpotter, Inc.
Released April 29, 2008