ShotSpotter unveiled in North Bellport

Flanked by the family of a 15-year-old North Bellport boy who was shot dead four years ago, Suffolk County officials unveiled a crime-fighting tool Wednesday that they say will curb violence in the area.

Suffolk officials announced the launch of a ShotSpotter system Wednesday during a news conference at Station Road and Patchogue Avenue, where Alvin Brothers was killed in a drive-by shooting in August 2007 after leaving a "Night Out Against Crime" event at a park. He and others exchanged words with a man in a silver vehicle, who returned and shot at the group, striking Brothers in the back.

Brothers' mother, Christine Brame of Shirley, attended the news conference and said the technology could have helped locate her son's unidentified killer, who is still at large.

"If it had been around at that time, I believe it would have helped to find out what happened to my son," Brame said. "We still mourn him every day."

North Bellport is one of five Suffolk communities to start using ShotSpotter recently as part of a three-year, $1.2 million lease with the California firm that manufactures the devices, officials have said. The technology's sensors allow police to pinpoint where gunshots are fired.

Violent crime in North Bellport rose from 19 cases in 2009 to 25 last year, and officials hope ShotSpotter helps stem the tide.

The technology is expected to serve as a deterrent and help police solve crimes, said county Legis.-elect Robert Calarco (D-Patchogue).

The presence of the sensors on streetlight poles and public buildings is designed to dissuade criminals from committing violence, he said.

"The message does eventually get out. They're going to know if we have a system in place that lets us know where they are shooting; they're going to think twice before doing it," Calarco said.

The Suffolk communities of Huntington Station, Brentwood, North Amityville and Wyandanch also launched ShotSpotter this month. Roosevelt, Freeport and Uniondale in Nassau County also use the technology.

More than 30 people, including county officials, attended a Dec. 22 test of the equipment in Huntington Station. The equipment allowed police to determine where the test shots were fired within 34 seconds.