WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — West Palm Beach Police will have more information than ever right at their fingertips This New Year’s Eve, thanks to their new Real-Time Crime Center.
“We have a database that ties all of our different calls for service together, so it helps us do intelligence-led policing where we can pinpoint where we need to put more officers on patrol,” said West Palm Beach Police Chief Sarah Mooney.
Part of that database includes their new ShotSpotter softwareAccording to Chief Mooney, the technology uses microphones placed strategically throughout the city to detect gunfire in real time.
The software then provides officers with an exact location of where the shots were fired, along with other crucial details to help with their response.
“It will tell you how many rounds went off, it can kind of tell you what kind of guns were fired not specifically but to a certain degree,” she said. “Where they will know if they’re going into an incident where one round went off or thirty rounds went off.”
Chief Mooney says she’s hoping the new tools, along with additional city cameras will help crack down on celebratory gunfire as people ring in the new year.
“You may not be trying to commit a crime, you may not be trying to hurt anybody, but what goes up must come down and when that comes down in the wrong location, you unfortunately sometimes have victims.”
Chief Mooney says regardless of your intentions, firing a gun is illegal and depending on the situation and outcome, it could carry anywhere from a misdemeanor to felony charge.