CMPD To Install Gunshot Detection System

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have received city council permission to install technology that will identify the exact time and location of a gunshot. CMPD Deputy Chief Harold Medlock says the city will deploy the system in one neighborhood with a high rate of violent crime. That test location has not been chosen yet, says Medlock. A series of small antennae will be placed on rooftops to speed up police response. "In some cases neighbors are afraid or don't want to call for a variety of reasons, so this actually puts police officers almost immediately after a gunshot occurs in that neighborhood and on that particular street," says Medlock. City council members raised some concern the system might also be used to spy on citizens. But Medlock says the antennae cannot identify or record conversations - only the sound of gunfire. The City Council approved $50,000 for a one-year test of the system. The money will come out of a fund of assets police seize from criminals.