PASADENA, Calif. (CNS) — The Pasadena Police Department announced that a system meant to combat illegal firearm use by alerting officers when and where gun incidents occur will begin operation Wednesday.

The ShotSpotter system was approved by the City Council in October and employs sensors that work to triangulate the sound and pinpoint the location of gunfire, sending real-time alerts to officers and allowing for faster response times to potential crime scenes.

ShotSpotter personnel review and qualify all gunfire reports generated by the system, and a detailed alert is sent to authorities within a minute if a report is determined to be actual gunfire, according to police.

"(The system is) a game-changer, especially for those communities most impacted by the violence over the past few years," Interim Police Chief Cheryl Moody said. "By installing this system, the officers of the Pasadena Police Department will be able to quickly respond, save lives and increase the chance of taking into custody those responsible for the senseless acts of violence."