Chicago Pairing Surveillance Cameras with Gunshot Recognition Systems

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
A Chicago Police Department surveillance camera is seen mounted on a light pole Tuesday, June 14, 2005, on the city's South Side. The black spider-like device mounted above the camera is a Smart Sensor Enabled Neural Threat Recogniton and Identification, or SENTRI, system, developed by Oak Brook, Ill.-based Safety Dynamics. The microphone system along with the camera can detect the sound of gunshots within a two-block radius, pinpoint where the shot was fired, turn a camera towards the shooter, and place a 911 call to the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Chicago officials credit the surveillance cameras and the SENTRI systems with helping to lower the violent crime rate in Chicago.