Shotspotter to Make Its Debut

It won't put an end to all crime, but the technology known as Shotspotter brought police and public officials to Huntington Station Thursday to herald it as another step in the fight to rid the community of violence.

Shotspotter, a technology that uses microphones to listen for the sounds of gunfire and triangulates their location,  is expected to be deployed by the end of March in parts of Huntington Station that have recent an upsurge of violent crime in recent years.

Suffolk Legislator, D-Lloyd Harbor, had pushed for the technology and recently won support for the $450,000 test program.

County Executive Steve Levy praised the possibilities of the Spotshotter technology, even as he acknowledged some reservations about its effectiveness and noted other steps police had taken to cut crime. Citing such police steps as "sector within sector" patrols, Levy nonetheless said the program was worth the trial, which is expected to run six months to a year.

The police, he said, had "chopped off the heads of these gangs, these organizations," he said, and cited a police statement earlier this week that reported a 33 percent drop in violent crime.   Asked about earlier police resistance to the technology, Levy said, "Police, to be frank, saw both sides to Shotspotter," noting some studies that have found numerous false alarms with the system. "If it works, we keep it. If not, we keep it. If not, we redirect it to other things."

Levy also said his office was dropping off a $150,000 check to town officials Thursday to support the new business incubator opening in Huntington Station.

"We look forward to making Huntington Station a less and less hospitable place for violent crime, organized crime," Huntington school board president Bill Dwyer said. The board controversially decided to close to daily classroom use after many parents expressed fears about violence in the neighborhoods near the school.

Town Supervisor Frank Petrone praised Cooper's efforts and said, "The people of Huntington Station have legitimate concerns and have been very patient. Nothing beats more cops on the street but this supplements" police officers.

Cooper described how one man might have been saved last year if police said known that he had been shot. The main was shot in his driveway and later died.

Numerous police officials, including Police Commissioner Richard Dormer, Chief of Department Robert Anthony Moore  and the Second Precinct commander, Insp. Edward Brady, turned out for the announcement, held at the Community Outreach Center of the Huntington Housing Authority.

The Rev. Jerry Artis said he was an optimist but felt that technology wasn't the only solution. "There's a reason for kids to go to the gangs. They have nothing to do, bad parenting. Idle minds are the devil's workshop."