Fayetteville city council approves bringing gunshot detection technology to city
Gunshot detection technology is coming to Fayetteville.
City council voted 8-2 last week to give about $200,000 a year to install ShotSpotter, which is intended to help a city identify and deploy police to an area where gunshots were heard —even if a 911 call wasn't placed.
The technology is used in more than 100 cities around the country, including Durham and Winston-Salem.
Over the years, ShotSpotter has received mix reviews with some claiming the technology helps police seize guns and make arrests, while others say it's ineffective and leads to unnecessary encounters with police.
An academic article by Anna Goldenberg-Sandau credited ShotSpotter with improving response time, which is critical for a patient's survivial.
But, not all studies have been favorable of the technology. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found cities with the technology did not see a reduction in homicides.
