When a gunshot goes off, ShotSpotter springs into action.
The gunshot technology utilizes a collection of cameras and microphones designed to detect the sound of guns going off.
When the microphones hear gunfire, ShotSpotter's triangulation allows police to determine where the incident happened, within a few feet, according to officials with the Minneapolis Police Department.
"With ShotSpotter, we get an instant alert," says Minneapolis, Minnesota Police Lt. Jeff Rugel. "We can send squads much faster and tell them exactly where to go. It's been very successful for us."
But not everyone's enamored with the technology.
NJ.com reported that the Trenton City Council recently rejected an expansion of ShotSpotter, after it was criticized for failing to detect a deadly Christmas Day shooting.
"That body was shot there in the head and it stayed there for five hours with ShotSpotter being only a few blocks away," said Councilman George Muschal, a former police officer. "This product does not work, at least not for Trenton.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has also raised concerns that, if the system is unreliable, it could result in police charging into neighborhoods, chasing false alarms.