Cops mull anti-gun crime system in Lakeview

Lakeview, which police say has seen a troubling concentration of gun-related violence, could be the next community in which the department installs its sonic detection system to automatically alert authorities to gunfire.

The system, made by Mountain View, Calif.-based ShotSpotter, is in place in Roosevelt and Uniondale, which police have termed the county's "gun corridor" due to the high number of gun-related crimes.

Since police turned on the ShotSpotter system on July 27, 2009, in Roosevelt and Uniondale, the system has logged more than 600 shots, William Flanagan, the department's second deputy commissioner said.

In Lakeview, a department map of the area shows clusters of gun-related crime, such as robbery, homicide, menacing and reckless endangerment, which cops want to stem.

"Clusters can turn into entrenched conditions," Flanagan said. "That's why we're proactively attempting to break the cycle."

Especially acute are areas near Coolidge and Jefferson avenues and Woodfield Road, according to the map.

The addition of ShotSpotter to Lakeview would cost about $200,000 and could begin operating in about six months, he said. The money, which he said would come from asset forfeiture funds, needs county legislature approval.

ShotSpotter listening devices are posted discreetly around a community and they map the exact location of gunfire noise for 911 operators and police. Nassau Police commissioner, Lawrence W. Mulvey, credits ShotSpotter with helping alert authorities to gunfire almost instantly, rather than waiting for 911 calls. He said the alerts hasten the arrival of medics and arrests of shooters.