FOREST PARK — The Forest Park Police Department recently announced plans to deploy the gunshot detection system ShotSpotter in several areas throughout the city in an effort to help combat gun violence.
By using the system, public safety alerts will be generated and sent to law enforcement personnel within 60 seconds of a trigger pull, who are then notified when and where gun incidents occur.
Owned and developed by SoundThinking Inc., ShotSpotter provides a fast, precise response to gun-related incidents in order to help save the lives of gunshot wound victims and find critical evidence during an investigation, the city stated in a press release.
The platform, which is currently being used in cities like Denver; Columbus, Ohio; and Bakersfield, Calif.; was approved for implementation by the Forest Park City Council and would be the first of its kind in metro Atlanta.
“We as a governing body are keenly aware of how gun violence impacts our local community, including an overall reduction to a high quality of life due to fear experienced by residents and even unwanted stresses to the criminal justice system,” Forest Park Mayor Angelyne Butler said. “Introducing this advanced technology truly reflects the progress that continues to be made in our city. It is our hope that we are able to mitigate, prevent and deter senseless acts of violence that for too long have had devastating consequences for survivors, victims and families here in Georgia and across the nation.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the United States in 2022, resulting in about 132 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day.
Firearm injuries also were among the top five leading causes of death for people ages 1 to 44 and the leading cause of death among children and teens ages 1 to…
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