A look at the new technology Fort Worth police are using to track gunfire

The crack of gunfire often elicits a flurry of calls to 911, but finding those responsible can be tough by the time officers arrive on the scene.

NBC 5’s Katy Blakey takes a look at the newest tool police are turning to.

It’s a complaint and concern in North Texas’ largest cities – the random gunfire that can terrorize neighborhoods.

Inside Fort Worth Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, officers at computers assist officers on the street in solving cases.

“Every time somebody calls 911, it’s a different puzzle,” said Sgt. Joe Shipp.

It’s here that officers are analyzing one of the department’s newest tools – gunshot detection technology.

Placed high in a neighborhood, the microphones can detect the sound of gunfire, then triangulate the location where the shots were fired.

“If I’m where it tells me to be, if I stand at that location, look around, I’m going to be able to see within an eyeshot of the evidence,” Shipp said,

Fort Worth PD has been using the technology full time for the last six months, said Shipp.

The devices have been placed in neighborhoods where city data showed the highest number of shots fired calls. Most of those calls often come in to 911 between midnight and 3 a.m., said Shipp.

“Usually random gunfire of people that are driving and moving through a city neighborhood,” Shipp said.

He says the technology has been helpful in investigating these mobile crimes.

“By the time the victim was able to get away from the person that was shooting at them, they called 911, but they had no idea where it originally started,” Shipp said.

“We’re able to use the gunshot detectors in some cases to go back and find where the actual crime scene was, and now we can collect the evidence of shell casings.”

As for concerns that ‘Big Brother’ is listening in on neighbors, Shipp said the microphone only activates by a sound perceived as gunfire.

“So if somebody is walking underneath the sensor and saying something, we can’t hear that,” Shipp said.

Layered with the city’s extensive camera system and license plate readers, Fort Worth police believe the technology will help solve crimes faster.

“You take all of these different technologies and you marry them together in layers, and then you use that to solve every puzzle,” Shipp said.

“We’re hoping that we can curb some of the violent crime in the city.”