Methuen live tests active shooter system in school
Posted: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 4:20 pm
METHUEN — Police and school officials tested a first-of-its-kind active shooter detection system in a school Tuesday afternoon that is designed to cut police response time and provide immediate, live information about the location of gunfire from inside a building.
Police fired at least seven shots – using blanks – in the school, which was empty except for law enforcement officials and media because of the holiday, and conducted a training exercise where officers responded to the shots and tracked down the suspect, in this case a police lieutenant, as he continued to fire inside the building.
Officials asked the name of the school be withheld.
“It’s amazing, the split-second timing between detecting the shot and sending the alert,” said Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon.
