Gunshot Detection System Partnership

At a press conference in New Bedford City Hall today, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the District Attorney’s Office and the City of New Bedford would share the cost of operating the Shotspotter gunshot detection system over the next year. District Attorney Sutter presented Mayor Mitchell with a check for $50,000 which represents more than a third of the annual fee to maintain and repair the gunshot technology equipment as well as provide for critical software upgrades. The funding is forfeiture money, seized during a drug trafficking raid and forfeited upon a conviction or ruling by a forfeiture judge.

“The District Attorney’s offer to assist the City to pay for an important crime fighting tool reflects real out-of-the box thinking about our public safety challenges,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor.

Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter remarked, “I am extremely happy to be able to support the Mayor and the Police Department in sustaining this innovative and successful technology at a high standard. Shot Spotter acts as both a crime solver and a crime deterrent and we need to keep it going at the highest level of effectiveness to protect our citizens.”

The gunshot detection technology provides the New Bedford Police Department with real-time validation of gunshot location data helping improve its situational intelligence. The gunshot alert information and forensic evidence is also used for investigations and analysis, leading to increased prosecutions for gun-related crime.

“Shotspotter provides location specific information that releases officers from the traditional effort of locating specific addresses where shots were fired. By narrowing down to a specific location, valuable time is saved thereby improving the effectiveness of our response and our ability to deliver on our mission of protecting life, said New Bedford Police Chief, David A. Provencher.