PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Police Department will be testing out the new ShotSpotter technology Wednesday night.
The department sent out a notification and calls to residents to inform them about the live gunfire test. The city is contracting with ShotSpotter to install gunshot detection systems, which will send notifications to police cruisers the moment the microphones pick up the sound of gunfire.
"ShotSpotter uses a wide-area network of acoustic sensors to detect when a gun is fired and then precisely and quickly pinpoints the location of the gunfire. In less than a minute, officers and 911 dispatchers are notified of the fully qualified and validated gunfire incidents, even if no one calls 911 - although the community is always encouraged to report sounds of gunfire," Lt. Gary Traversa wrote in a release issued Wednesday afternoon.
"By quickly notifying police with the precise information, ShotSpotter helps speed police response, has the potential to save lives, increase weapons-related arrests, and the technology enhances the safety of our neighborhoods."
Before it can be deployed, the city needs to test it out. At 7 p.m. Wednesday night the department will be firing off shots at test locations to help calibrate the system.
"The Pittsfield Police Department will be conducting a live-fire gunshot event to test the ShotSpotter solution as they conduct a detection qualification and validation analysis before the system is live and operating in Pittsfield. The purpose of the DVQ is to test the sensor calibrations, quality of detection, and identify any additional calibration of the sensors needed. The ShotSpotter system is not considered live and operational until the successful completion of the DVQ event," Traversa wrote.
The will be no danger to the public, police said, because during the tests there will be officers on site at all locations, a bullet trap will be used to ensure public safety, and no bullets will be fired into the air.
"The controlled tests will consist of a sequence of gunshot sounds followed by validation of quality detection by ShotSpotter. During the tests, a bullet trap will be used to ensure public safety. No bullets will be fired into the air and there is no danger to the public," Traversa wrote.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police arrested on Tuesday the suspect in an Everett murder case.
Pittsfield Police say David Grossack, 47, was arrested in the city this afternoon. Grossack was listed as one of Massachusetts State Police's "most wanted" for allegedly killing and Everett artist.
Grossack will be arranged in Central Berkshire District Court on Wednesday. According to MassLive, Grossack was named the prime suspect in February for the murder of Francis Brescia, who was found dead in his apartment in February.
According to MassLive, Brescia was found after a landlord went to check on him. Authorities found the body severely decomposed.
Grossack was believed to be homeless with ties to communities near Boston. On March 2, State Police put out a release calling for information about his whereabouts and warned he had access to weapons and could be armed.
Grossack also has a criminal history in Massachusetts and California.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former Pittsfield Police officer sentenced on Monday afternoon after pleading guilty to stealing more than $200,000 the Pittsfield Patrol Police Union.
Jeffrey D. Coco, 44, former union president, will serve up to 20 months in the House of Correction.
Coco was fired in November 2015 after some two months on administrative leave after an internal affairs investigation uncovered numerous improprieties with the union's accounts and fundraisers.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of larceny, ongoing and continuing offense, and a single count of identity theft in Central Berkshire District Court on Monday.
Judge John Agostini sentenced him to concurrent 20-month sentences for the larcenies and three years' probation on the identity theft. During the probationary period, Coco is to refrain from using illegal drugs and undergo counseling and drug testing. He will begin serving his sentence on April 3, 2017.
Coco serving in various offices, including treasurer, of the union between January 2008 and July 2015. During that time, he generated a false document requesting access to certain funds.
The investigation was conducted State Police Detectives assigned to the district attorney's office with the assistance of members of the Pittsfield Police Department.
STAMFORD, Vt. — State police are seeking information related to a reported hit-and-run that took place late Wednesday morning.
Samantha Goodreau, 22, of North Adams, Mass., was southbound on Main Road in her 2014 Hyundai Elantra when she says another vehicle forced her off the road, and she collided with the guard rail on the southbound lane, and then fled.
The incident occurred at about 11:45 a.m. near Brookside Drive, and Goudreau walked to a nearby home for assistance and told the homeowner what had happened.
She was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass., for bumps, bruises and minor head injury.
According to Trooper Lauren Ronan, the Elantra was in a position of "uncontrolled rest" within the southbound lane when she arrived. The vehicle had damage to the front passenger side bumper, hood and quarter panel. The airbags were not deployed. Vermont troopers along with Clarksburg (Mass.) Police and Massachusetts State Police were unable to locate another vehicle involved.
A description of the other vehicle involved was not provided.
There was no evidence that another vehicle collided with Goodreau's vehicle, according to state police, however, there still may have been another vehicle involved and the investigation is continuing. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact Trooper Ronan at 802-442-5421.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Taconic High School student is facing a raft of charges after allegedly shooting a man in the hand on Monday.
The student left school grounds without permission at noontime and later was arrested by police at the high school after being found with a handgun in his possession.
School officials released a statement to parents saying the unidentified juvenile was involved in a gun-related incident off-campus and that a search found a handgun in his backpack.
According to police, dispatch received a call reporting a disturbance at a residence on Danforth Avenue and a second call reported reported gunfire. Responding units encountered an adult man with a gunshot wound to his hand.
The suspect was believed to be the student and an officer stationed at Taconic confirmed that the student had been present at school earlier in the day, before leaving without authorization. While law enforcement investigators were working with school staff, the student returned the school and was taken into custody.
The juvenile is facing charges of possession of a firearm without a Firearms Identification Card; possession of ammunition without an FID; discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building; assault & battery with a dangerous weapon (to wit handgun); armed robbery (firearm); carrying a firearm on school grounds; and attempted escape from a municipal lockup.
He will be arraigned Tuesday, March 21, in Central Berkshire Juvenile Court.
The school district sent the following message to parents Monday afternoon.
"During second lunch today, a Taconic High School student left school grounds and allegedly was involved in a gun altercation with a member of the community. The student returned to school approximately 30 minutes later. The Pittsfield Police Department informed us of this incident including the name of student who may be in possession of a weapon.
"A short time later we conducted our hold passing and the student was placed in custody by the Pittsfield Police. While in custody a handgun was found in the student's backpack. The student was immediately removed from the school. I would like to thank the Pittsfield Police Department and the members of the community as well as our faculty and staff who acted swiftly with the best interests and safety of our students in mind."
The name and age of the juvenile was not released.
6:58 p.m.; Write-thru with update from Pittsfield Police Department.
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