ShotSpotter coming to Fall River

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) - The Fall River Police Department is getting new technology designed to help combat violence by alerting officers of gunshots the moment they are fired.

Mayor Will Flanagan stood alongside Police Chief Daniel Racine and Bristol Country District Attorney Samuel Sutter at a news conference Tuesday to announce the acquisition of ShotSpotter.

ShotSpotter places high-tech acoustic sensors across the city to immediately detect where and when gunshots are fired, and dispatch police to the scene.

The system is also capable of discerning the caliber of gun fired, the number of shots fired, and the shooter's speed and direction of travel, if he or she was on the move when discharging the weapon.

"Criminals should be put on notice here today that if you discharge a firearm within the city of Fall River, we will know about it," warned Mayor Flanagan.

Police say the ability to respond more quickly to reports of gunfire could potentially prove life-saving.  Chief Racine pointed to a deadly shooting on Cherry Street last month that claimed the life of 31-year-old Aja Pascual.

"It clearly would have responded us quicker there, it would have assisted in the investigation: Where are the shell casings? Where did the shots coming from? It aids you in putting the pieces of the puzzle together," Chief Racine explained.

Next year, the equipment will be able to detect gunshots within a two-mile radius and will cost the city $90,000.  The next year, the radius will expand to three miles, and the cost will increase to $120,000.

Mayor Flanagan believes it will be money well spent.

"The benefits greatly outweigh the monetary cost of this program and we are a safer city because of this technology," the mayor said.

The Fall River Fire Department, the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, and the Housing Authority will all contribute to the funding of the ShotSpotter program.