SCRA and ShotSpotter Announce Successful Installation of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System For Richland County, South Carolina
County Surrounding Columbia, SC to Proactively Address Violent Gun-Based Crime
Mountain View, CA – October 23, 2007 — The Richland County Sheriff's Department is pleased to accept delivery of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System® (GLS) from ShotSpotter, Inc., in cooperation with the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA). The system, deployed in the county surrounding Columbia, is a hybrid GLS that operates with ShotSpotter sensors connected to a combination of standard telephone lines and broadband wireless networks, providing immediate alerts of gunfire and forensic information to the sheriff's dispatch center.
Recognizing the successful reduction of crime in areas where ShotSpotter systems are deployed, the SCRA awarded ShotSpotter with a grant to accelerate development of interoperability between sensors designed for telephone lines and those designed for wireless communications networks. The result is the hybrid ShotSpotter GLS® deployed today in Richland County.
SCRA CEO Bill Mahoney has seen the positive results achieved by the ShotSpotter GLS® and is, "very pleased to be able to bring this technology to Richland County. Because SCRA administers the Southeast Region of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC-SE) and has a staff of trained public safety professionals, we are in a unique position to furnish leading-edge law enforcement, homeland security and public safety technology through the Southeastern US, as is being done today in Richland County."
The hybrid capability enables the existing ShotSpotter customers with telephone line sensors to more easily and cost-effectively expand their areas of coverage using broadband wireless networks, which many cities are deploying for public Wi-Fi and other municipal uses.
"The successful partnership between ShotSpotter and NLECTC-SE has resulted in ShotSpotter expanding its offerings of invaluable gunshot location technology to the public safety marketplace," said ShotSpotter's vice president of Engineering, Doug McFarlin. "The system recently installed in Columbia, SC demonstrates ShotSpotter's latest capability of combining wireless and wired sensors, interoperating and feeding alerts to a dispatch center console. This capability enables ShotSpotter to add wireless sensors to an existing system of telephone-line based sensors. Furthermore, customers now have the flexibility of choosing the sensor and communication method best suited for a particular location."
"By any measure, ShotSpotter is the leading provider of gunshot detection and location systems for public safety. Our technology provides real-time situational awareness that helps with incident prioritization, reduces response time and increases evidence collection," said James Beldock, president and chief executive officer of ShotSpotter, Inc. "By combining gunfire location data with proactive policing, law enforcement has new mission critical tools necessary to address today's violent crime. We are proud that our technology helps make communities safer throughout the USA, and we are honored that increased use of our technology by the Department of Defense will reduce the number of warfighters lost to enemy sniper attacks. We share the pride of our successes with two key supporters and partners, SCRA and NLECTC-SE."
About ShotSpotter, Inc.
ShotSpotter is an industry leader in the development of innovative, interoperable net-centric gunshot, sniper-detection and location systems for the law enforcement and military markets. The company's focus on ingenuity and technological vision drives its continuing mission to create invaluable solutions that reduce gunfire and gun violence while improving the safety of first responders on the street and soldiers on the front. Currently, the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System® protects many cities nationwide, consistently producing arrests and weapons confiscations. Its individually worn sniper detection and location system identifies and tracks friendly military forces, providing dismounted forces with real-time situational awareness (SA) to aid in maneuvers, reduce fratricide, add to a mission's common operating picture, and support after-action review. Information about ShotSpotter can be found at www.shotspotter.com.
The company's patented technology has consistently produced arrests and weapons confiscations nationwide and has helped reduce gunfire and crime rates in cities that deploy it. In 2004, its products assisted the FBI and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in identifying the convicted Columbus, Ohio highway sniper.
ShotSpotter was honored in 2000 for its technological vision and leadership, receiving the Computerworld Smithsonian Laureate Award, having been nominated by Microsoft Chairman William H. Gates. Its technology was added to the Smithsonian Museum's permanent collection in honor of the company's achievements.
About SCRA (www.scra.org)
SCRA is a global leader in applied research and commercialization services with offices in Anderson,
Charleston, and Columbia, South Carolina. SCRA collaborates to advance technology. SCRA provides
technology-based solutions with assured outcomes with industry, government, and with research
universities like Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University
For more information, please contact
Gregg Rowland
Senior VP, Sales and Marketing
ShotSpotter, Inc.
Toll Free +1 (888) 274-6877 x219
Direct +1 (562) 650-2673
gregg@shotspotter.com