Community Foundation of New Jersey

Introduction | Our Purpose | Community Eye | Newark Police Foundation | Press & Ads | Job Opening | Our Board

• About Community Eye
• Participants
• Donate to Community Eye

The Newark Community Foundation has created the Community Eye in order to work with the Newark community and its various constituencies to impact gun violence in Newark.

The City is seeking to deploy seven square miles of gunshot detection technology and 50 public safety surveillance cameras to cover an area of the City in which approximately 80% of our gun violence has occurred over the course of the past 2 ½ years.

The gunshot detection technology consists of a series of sensors which, near-instantaneously, detect and pinpoint the source of gunfire. These sensors then convey the information to police dispatchers and automated public safety cameras with stunning accuracy. There are several benefits to this cutting edge technology, which has been deployed successfully in a number of cities including Washington DC and neighboring East Orange:

• Police response is significantly faster as notification times are cut and information regarding the location of the shots is more accurate. This results in a greater likelihood of suspect apprehension, a greater deterrent to the use of firearms, and a reduced time to ambulance dispatch should a victim be present.
• The acoustic evidence can assist investigators in determining the number of shots fired at an event, the type of weapon used, and event dynamics such as whether the shots were fired from a vehicle.
• Police resources can be more effectively allocated as a clearer picture of shooting trends is available to police strategists.

The 50 cameras will be added to the 32 already in place and 45 others already planned. The benefit of these cameras is several fold as they:

• Act as a "force multiplier" by putting more police eyes on the street.
• Improve officer safety by providing officers with situational awareness prior to arrival on a dangerous scene.
• Are a powerful tool in investigations.
• Improve prosecution outcomes by providing strong visual evidence.
• Increase efficiency of dispatch by allowing for appropriate resource allocation.
• Allow for the more timely addition of non-police resources to a response.

The City of Newark takes its citizens' privacy very seriously, and will only use this technology in public spaces.

Additionally, the Newark Community Foundation is partnering with Stop Shootin' to address the senseless gun violence in the streets of Newark.

Stop Shootin' is a non-profit community-based organization whose founders were inspired by by their own personal experiences. Its mission is to assist in reversing the trend of senseless gun violence in Newark by advocating peace amongst street organizations and youth. Stop Shootin's goal is to promote programs and events focused on providing young people with educational, cultural and economic alternatives to crime.

In response to the recent violence, Stop Shootin', along with various community partners, has initiated the Stop Shootin' Pledge, a call to the community to commit to stop shooting each other.