L.I. Community Installs 'Shot-Spotter' System
HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. (WCBS 880) – Shootings and killings have become a common nightmare among residents in Huntington Station since last summer, but now there's a new fight against crime in the Long Island community.
The police department there installed the "Shot-Spotter" system, allowing police to know in seconds where a shot was fired.
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WCBS 880 Reporter Sophia Hall learns about the Shot Spotter System
"It is estimated that over 700 lives have been saved nationwide because of Shot-Spotter," said Suffolk County legislator Jon Cooper, who pushed for more than a year for the system. "I think it's going to make a dramatic difference here in Huntington Station."
Officials hope the system will allow suspects to be caught within a much shorter time frame—a big relief for residents like Matt Harris.
"We lost a school building because of gun-related violence. What we need to do is make sure that doesn't occur," Harris said, referring to Jack Abrams Intermediate School, which the school board voted to close in July 2010.
It was at Jack Abrams where a 16-year-old girl was shot in the leg also in July 2010.
Cooper hopes this kind of violence will stem as a result of the system's installation.
"Perception is everything," Cooper said. "Any level of violence is unacceptable."
