NYTimes | With
a rapid-response team and regular lockdown drills, the school district
here, like many across the country, has long been steeling itself for
the nightmare scenario of a school shooting.
But
over the past two years, a new high-tech approach has been tested at
one of the schools here — officials will not say which one — to see
whether it is possible to react more effectively.
Engineers
from a company called Shooter Detection Systems have installed infrared
sensors and microphones that can pick up the sound of gunfire and
immediately notify school and law enforcement officials where and when
it has occurred. It was installed free of charge, and school officials
were hoping they could find the money to put the system, which costs
between $20,000 and $100,000, into more schools.
It
does not stop the first shot, but company officials say the system can
shorten an attack by taking the human element out of alerting the
authorities.
“The
time it takes for police to even be notified can take many, many
minutes,” said Christian Connors, the company’s chief executive. “What
our device does is lessen the time.”
But
there is debate about whether military-style measures like a
gunshot-detection system are as valuable as more prevention-minded
methods. Many experts say limited resources may be better spent on
mental health services, training for teachers and students on what to do
if their peers talk about bringing a gun to school, or on officers
trained to keep schools safe.
Officials
in this city of about 50,000, on the New Hampshire border, say their
district’s five buildings are no more likely than any other to
experience a mass shooting, although they do perimeter lockdowns from
time to time when there is crime in the area. But Police Chief Joseph
Solomon said he nevertheless tried to stay ahead on school safety
practices.
“You
can’t just look at your location — you have to look at how is the world
changing,” Chief Solomon said. “You see a propensity for violence to
increase.”
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