September 24, 2007

Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker and Police Director Garry F. McCarthy were joined August 14 by members of the Municipal Council, representatives of the Newark Community Foundation, and the community group Stop Shootin’ to unveil a $3.2 million cutting-edge gunshot detection and public safety camera program to assist police in their efforts to curb gun violence, improve officer safety and increase neighborhood awareness. The bold initiative will add 50 additional police surveillance cameras to the already existing 32 cameras on the city’s streets. The acoustic sensors will be able to detect and pinpoint the source of gunfire over a seven square-mile area of the city that has suffered 80 percent of the gun violence since January 2005.

Similar sensors are being used with great success in a number of cities, including Washington, D.C., and neighboring East Orange.

“The recent shootings in Ivy Hill have brought tragedy to our families and pain to our residents, but the determination in our efforts to rid Newark of gun violence has grown even stronger,” said Mayor Booker. “This new technology will enable us to zero in on the location of gun fire, so we can quickly dispatch police and other emergency responders to the scene to apprehend suspects and care for victims. We will bring the swiftest and most modern technology into battle against crimes that have disturbed the very fabric of our neighborhoods.”

“While we have experienced significant progress in our efforts to prevent and reduce crime and violence in our city, we will continue to implement and deploy a combination of state of the art equipment along with effective policing strategies,” said Police Director McCarthy. “These new cameras will prove a valuable tool in our arsenal as we partner with our greatest resource, our community, in the battle to reclaim our neighborhoods block by block.”

The Newark Community Foundation has committed to finance the $3.2 million gunshot detection technology and additional cameras. The foundation, founded by some of Newark's leading corporate, business and philanthropic leaders, has created a special fund called Community Eye. This fund will raise the necessary monies from all segments of Newark, including residents and the religious community, as well as the corporate and philanthropic sector.