Rocky Mount Police describe Flock Safety gunshot‑detection plan for Rocky Mount High; MOU negotiations ongoing

Rocky Mount Police Department representatives told the Nash County Public Schools board that they plan to deploy Flock Safety gunshot‑detection sensors around Rocky Mount High and said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the police, the vendor and school attorneys is being finalized.

The police representative described how the sensors detect sound frequencies associated with gunfire, send location alerts to officers and provide short, historical audio clips for investigative use. “It’s not constantly listening. We can’t log in to it and say, ‘I wonder what’s happening at Rocky Mount High today,’” the representative said. “Our officers can listen to what it recorded historically.”

Why it matters: the sensors are meant to give officers near‑real‑time notification of gunfire on or near school property, potentially reducing response times and helping investigators identify incident locations. Police said the technology is solar powered, uses cellular communications and would be sited on or near school property lines to enable triangulation of gunfire location.

What police told the board: the vendor, Flock Safety, would own the hardware while law enforcement would control the data transmitted through the vendor’s platform, the police representative said. The department also said the Flock system is CJIS‑compliant and that the audio available to officers is retrospective (historic) rather than a live stream. The department noted similar systems are in use in some North Carolina public and private schools and that another vendor commonly used in the industry is ShotSpotter.

The police representative said site selection and installation would be coordinated with school staff and that Sergeant Summerlin and the department’s Flock installer would work with school personnel to finalize locations. Police also said the department and the school communications office (PIO) would collaborate on public messaging explaining what the sensors do and what to expect.

Board process and the MOU: presenters said the MOU had been exchanged between the police, the school attorneys and the vendor and that final language was being worked out. The police representative said the department had hoped to bring the MOU to the full board rather than wait another month for committee review, but that lawyers had continued to refine the agreement.

What the system does and does not do: presenters emphasized that the sensors are tuned to gunfire and other high‑energy events such as fireworks or street “takeovers.” They said the sensors are not continuous audio recorders for general surveillance and that officers receive short, historic audio clips only after the system detects an event. Presenters also said the system can help address the “bystander effect” by automatically alerting police when a qualifying sound occurs.

Future coverage mentioned: police said, as they expand coverage, they expect to add Rocky Mountain Middle and Tar River Academy to their detection network.

Votes at a glance: earlier in the meeting the board approved a motion described in the transcript as "student services operations." The transcript records that the motion was seconded and that the board voted "all in favor." Individual roll‑call votes were not specified in the transcript.

Ending: presenters asked the board to allow the department and school staff to finalize the MOU language and coordinate installations; police said they were ready to begin site visits once the agreement and installation logistics were settled.