Last week I was joined by Police Commissioner Lawrence W. Mulvey to announce that the Police Department has received legislative approval and is going forward with the implementation of a state-of-the-art Gunshot Location System, known as the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS).

This new technology accurately detects, pinpoints and alerts police responders to the locations of gunfire. In cities where it is deployed, the information provided by the ShotSpotter system has been credited with reducing gunfire rates by nearly 60 to 80 percent and violent crime by 35 percent.

The program is being funded by the Nassau County Police Department's Asset Forfeiture Unit, which ensures that those who commit crimes do not profit from their illegal activities. The proceeds of criminal activities are seized and used to fund programs such as ShotSpotters and GunStoppers.

The ShotStoppers system works like this: Sensors are calibrated to listen for the unique acoustic fingerprint of gunfire. When gunfire events occur, sensors locate the gunshot's point of origin down to the nearest street address. The system records the number of shots fired, whether the shooter was stationary or moving, and provides essential audio playback of each gunshot event. This information provides situational awareness for law enforcement officers prior to arriving at the crime scene and invaluable evidence for post-crime analysis. Additionally, police will know whether the gunshot came from the front or side of a building.

Tactically, this is significant as it helps officers respond faster and gives them a specific area to search for potential evidence, question witnesses, and in the event a victim is found, ensure that medical attention is timely. Most importantly, this system will ultimately improve both the safety of the community at large and of responding officers.

Police Commissioner Mulvey has made eliminating illegal guns a priority. Since coming into office, he has enacted a three-pronged approach to combating gun violence, beginning with personally shaking the hand of every officer responsible for taking an illegal gun off our streets. He also created the Department's GunStoppers hotline (1-877-4GUN411), which enables callers to anonymously provide information regarding the location of an illegal gun. If an illegal gun is recovered, callers are rewarded through a "blind" source up to $2,000. Finally, by implementing the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System, the moment a shot is fired our police officers can respond instantaneously and with the intelligence he or she needs to be most effective.

Nassau County is the safest county of its size in the nation and our police department already does a great job of protecting our residents. ShotSpotter is another step in our ongoing effort to give our officers the tools they need to keep Nassau County a safe place to live.