Shootings are on the rise in New York City, and the NYPD is turning to microphones to help reverse the trend. Its announced plans to install ShotSpotters gunshot detection systems on rooftops across the city as part of a two-year, $1.5 million pilot program. Up to 15 square miles of the city will be covered by the system, which uses strategically placed acoustic sensors to pinpoint any source of gunfire within just seconds. The purpose of the system is to both detect and to deter gunfire activity, including drug-related and celebratory gunfire that may terrorize communities or end in tragic deaths, read a notice about the ShotSpotter initiative printed in a local paper last week.