ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system, being implemented in Durham, that would give police officers a precise location of gunshots. | Pixabay
ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system, being implemented in Durham, that would give police officers a precise location of gunshots. | Pixabay
As a mother, Ashley Canady knows firsthand the effect that hearing gunshots can have on a child’s psyche.
"I have one child with PTSD. I have a 6-year-old (who) doesn't like fireworks anymore because she thinks they're gunshots,” Canady told ABC 11 News.
City leaders are hoping that a decision to install ShotSpotter technology will help ease Canady’s mind. The program goes live next month, making Durham will be the sixth North Carolina city to use it.
Mayor Mark-Anthony Middleton
| City of Durham
ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system. When shots are fired, it can help police pinpoint the location of their origin, allowing for quicker response times.
People from all walks of life just want answers about how they can protect others from being shot.
“I’ve always feared I might lose one of my kids to gun violence,” Canady told ABC 11 News. “They’ve seen too much. Will they be hit by a bullet? I'm trying not to lose them to the streets."
North Carolina Central University Chancellor Johnson Akinleye said he hopes the system will provide more peace of mind.
”The ShotSpotter would be another added level of security around the campus in the area or city streets that we do not control,” he said, according to ABC 11 News.
Durham Mayor Pro-Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton said the city had to confront the problem of increased use of guns in criminal activity.
"Less than 2 miles from our city's center is another narrative,” Middleton told ABC 11 News. “Kids have just (resigned) themselves to the notion that gunfire every night is part of the neighborhood. To me, that's immoral and unacceptable. If there's something we can do as a government, as an elected official, it's a moral obligation."
The ShotSpotter sensors are not installed yet. When they are, they will likely be attached to poles and on building roofs. Parents are willing to give the technology a try, as they feel their children's lives may depend on it.
"A lot of times people in the community are afraid to call the police because they don't want to be tracked down and have people showing up to their door,” Canady said, according to ABC 11 News. "So from what I'm hearing, when shots ring out, it will automatically dispatch an officer. So we'll see.”
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