WORCESTER After hearing a raft of concerns from the public about a planned expansion of the Police Department s ShotSpotter program, the City Council voted Tuesday to split the item to give new technology included with the upgrade a more public airing.
Councilors overwhelmingly supported an expansion of existing ShotSpotter technology, which detects gunshots and leads police to their source. The program has been in use across six square miles of the city for the past seven years.
But along with many residents who called into the virtual meeting, several councilors balked at the proposed deal with ShotSpotter that includes expansion of the existing system s range and a one-year subscription to ShotSpotter Connect, an automated technology that would use police data-driven crime forecasting to inform decisions about where to place officers to try to deter crime.
COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin For First Responders In Massachusetts
CBS Boston 1/11/2021 Syndicated Local – CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) – About 45,000 first responders in Massachusetts became eligible Monday to get COVID-19 vaccinations at more than 60 approved locations across the state.
All first responders have to sign up for an appointment and bring one form of identification – a badge, an employer ID, a paystub and license, or a letter from their chief. They must also make an appointment at the same location for their second dose of the vaccine.
“We worry about bringing it home to our families. But also, working with the community, we don’t want to be super-spreaders,” said Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent. He and Fire Chief Michael Lavoie were both vaccinated Monday morning, each getting their first dose of the Moderna shot.
Worcester, Mass., Chief Steven Sargent stood between residents seeking to revamp the police department and those angry over claims the institution was racist