Amid wide concerns over US police brutality, militarization and indiscriminate use of force against suspects, a new technology has emerged that will enable law enforcement to track down when a bullet was fired from a police gun.
The latest technological marvel developed and currently being tested by a Silicon Valley startup, Yardarm Technologies, is designed to keep track in real time and send a signal to the dispatchers when a gun is drawn from its holster and when it’s fired. It can also track the trajectory of the shot as well as the location of the weapon.
“These events are transmitted in real-time to CAD or RTCC dashboards, allowing command to use this information to support officers in the field,” the company says.
The new technology is advertised and hailed as a life saver in situations when a police officer is in urgent need of backup but can’t call for it, a situation dubbed the “worst nightmare” by those involved in testing of the scientific breakthrough.
“That’s the worst nightmare for any police officer in the field,” Santa Cruz County Sheriff Phil Wowak told AP.
The technology relies on the Internet and requires an officer to carry a small device that the company says would fit in the handle of most police guns. A small sensor equivalent in weight to a bullet connects to the officer’s smartphone using Bluetooth.