Newark high school gets gunfire-detection system

Students will return to Newark Memorial High School in the fall to find that a gunfire detection system installed last month is fully operational.

The software, which officials said is the first of its kind at a U.S. high school, is meant to both quicken school reactions and minimize police response time in case of a shooting.

Gunfire detection company SST Inc., which is in Newark, announced Thursday that the school will begin detection alerts in the fall using the company’s SecureCampus system, audio-based software that alerts police and school officials of gunfire in seconds.

“FBI data shows that seconds or minutes for sure can be the difference between lost lives and lives saved in active shooter situations,” said Damaune Journey, vice president of security solutions for the company.

Morales said the software made him feel secure, adding that recent shootings such as last week’s rampage in Charleston, S.C., show a need to protect people in buildings that could be vulnerable.

If a gun is fired, they detect the sound and send it to acoustic experts, who confirm gunfire, determine the location and number of rounds fired, then send that information to the computers of school personnel and police in 60 seconds or less.