Latest bid to fight bad behaviour
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is putting two pieces of technology in the field to detect gunshots and disperse young loiterers without the presence of deputies.

Deputies obtained a number of ShotSpotter units — sensors that can be installed on walls, posts and rooftops to detect gunfire and provide investigators with a location.

The department also acquired a number of Mosquito units — devices that emit high-frequency, irritating tones that young people can hear and that can be mounted on businesses to drive away loiterers, drug dealers and graffiti artists.

Sheriff Leon Lott would not disclose how many units of each were acquired or where they have been placed.

“As technology improves, we need to be on the cutting edge, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Lott said.

The Mosquito units were provided free through a partnership that began in 2005 with the product’s manufacturer, Compound Security Systems in Great Britain, Lott said.

The sound coming from the units begins to annoy youths after two to three minutes, according to the company.

Most people older than 25 are unable to hear the frequency range. The Mosquito units have been tested at Columbia Place mall and a business in the St. Andrews area, Lott said.

ShotSpotter units were obtained free through a partnership with the South Carolina Research Authority, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Units can provide a desk sergeant with a location within 8 feet of where a shot was fired, Lott said.

ShotSpotter technology has been used by the FBI, U.S. Army, and police departments in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., according to company information.It also has been used in a limited capacity in North Charleston, Lott said.

Residents can report gunfire, but it’s often difficult to determine immediately where the shots are coming from, according to Lott.

The Mosquito and ShotSpotter units can be concealed and moved around, Lott said.

Neither is meant to replace deputies, but will be used as a supplement, Lott said.

Author Lee Higgings
Publication www.thestate.com
Date 10 October 2007
Link www.thestate.com