North Providence Police Host Active Shooter Detection and Police Response Demonstration
By: Liz Tufts
Email: news@abc6.com
Twitter: @ABC6
NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A shooter detection system is now up and running inside North Providence High School, making this system the first of its kind.
On Tuesday that system was put to the test to show what would happen if a shooter stormed the school and just how fast police would respond to the scene.
The simulation begins just after 10:00 a.m.; a man enters North Providence High School armed with a gun.
He fires off one bullet in the hallway.
Seconds later, a shot spotter detection system inside the building picks up the sound, cameras catch that intruder in the act, and the North Providence Police dispatch team then gets an alert.
Minutes later, North Providence Police storm the building, cuff the shooter, and take him away without anyone getting hurt.
“We don’t want to think about this happening but every few weeks we hear about it happening and it is happening,” said North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi.
North Providence is the first in the state to fit its schools with a shooter detection system.
It’s designed to quickly identify a gunshot inside the building by picking up the sound.
It then alerts police while these cameras keep a close eye on the intruders every move.
“By having this technology it’s going to greatly minimize that time that you have to be worried about that active threat in a school or in the future in a building in the town of North Providence,” said Rhode Island State Police Captain Derek Borek.
It cost the town $260,000 to equip six schools with this new technology.
“We were successful with a large Google settlement so that’s where this money is coming from and it won’t cost taxpayers one penny,” added Borek.
This new tool will keep teachers and students safe, even before emergency crews get to the scene.
“Time is money and business, when you are looking at public safety time saves lives,” said Captain Borek.
Every school in town will be equipped with that new system in the next month.
The goal is to have every town building equipped with that same system as well.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017
