FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Wednesday evening was the first chance to hear from ShotSpotter representatives in person.

The community gathered at the Smith Recreation Center in Fayetteville. 

This comes less than a month after city council approved bringing in ShotSpotter under the condition of having three public forums.

The technology detects gunshots and automatically alerts officers. The goal is to improve response times to shootings.

“ShotSpotter is responsible to build this dome of protection. This acoustic network,” said Ron Teachman, Director of Public Safety Solutions for ShotSpotter.

In North Carolina, Goldsboro, Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilmington and Winston-Salem have it.

Our sister station WGHP reported in October that ShotSpotter helped Winston-Salem police officers recover 47 firearms and save at least two lives in the past year.

According to the company, Greenville police saw a 20 percent reduction in homicides 2019.

The City of Goldsboro told CBS 17 Wednesday its police department has had it since 2016.

The city said officers are receiving ShotSpotter alerts on average within 60 seconds of the incident, and in most cases, they respond immediately.

They also noted that it’s helping locate victims, damaged property and evidence.

Meanwhile in Fayetteville, there have been and still are some concerns about the technology.

“My questions and reservations now are not as much about the technology itself, but about the process. We’re having these community meeting almost after the fact,” stated Deno Hondros, Fayetteville City Council Member.

However, city leaders hope the community can help guide them in its next steps.

Durham also has plans to launch ShotSpotter, but as of last month it was delayed again.

For information on the next community meetings, click here.