MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 7 March 2005. ShotSpotter, the world-leader in gunshot location detection systems, and Centurist Systems of Atlanta, Ga., developer of wireless weapons location systems for the military and defense markets, have today announced that they've agreed to merge to form ShotSpotter, Inc.
The companies had previously entered into a joint venture to develop military and wireless products in December, 2003.
ShotSpotter has nine years of in-depth experience in fixed, urban environment deployments of its gunshot location system. The company has a deep customer base of law-enforcement agencies across the country, from local police departments to the FBI, and has the most systems up-and-running in the country.
"Centurist Systems and ShotSpotter together make excellent strategic sense," commented James G. Beldock, CEO of ShotSpotter. "Both companies hold key patents relating to gunshot location and wireless technology, and their combined position will make them both the market incumbent and the technology leader. As the newly combined ShotSpotter, Inc, we are looking forward to offering these synergies to our customers."
Centurist brings several valuable assets to the new company: intellectual property consisting of more than 50 years of combined expertise in building mobile digital signal processing (DSP) devices, and critical patents on wireless gunshot detection equipment.
An additional benefit is sales and marketing relationships in the military and homeland security arenas. Whereas ShotSpotter has been focused solely on law-enforcement, the Centurist Systems team boasts two retired Generals with experience in the military and homeland security markets. Retired Major General Steve Siegfried, for instance, has brought valuable military expertise and contacts to the joint venture, as well as his experience as the former director of homeland security for South Carolina. Retired Brigadier General Mitch Mitchiner, an aviation expert who served nearly 30 years in the U.S. Army, is also a key team member.
"The new company will be able to address all aspects of gunshot location detection in urban settings for law-enforcement, homeland security applications and military urban and field applications," said Scott Manderville, ShotSpotter chairman and former CEO of Centurist Systems. "With our mobile wireless technology, ShotSpotter, Inc. is virtually one-stop shopping for gunshot and weapons location systems and technology for all major markets."
James G. Beldock will retain his position as president and CEO of ShotSpotter. Scott Manderville, formerly CEO, Centurist Systems, will be chairman of the board of the new company, and will focus primarily on expanding reach into the military and homeland security markets. Ret. Maj. Gen. Steve Siegfried joins from Centurist Systems as vice chairman of the board, and Robert Showen, PhD, remains as founder and chief scientist, and is a board member of the new company. Additional board members are Gary M. Lauder, managing director of Lauder Partners in Menlo Park, Calif., and Remigius Shatas, a partner with RNR Ventures in Huntsville, Ala.
ShotSpotter, Inc., the leading developer of gunshot location systems and technology, is based in Mountain View, Calif. ShotSpotter's flagship product, which detects gunfire across large urban areas using a small number of inexpensive and easy-to-deploy sensors, currently protects the citizens of cities nationwide, from Los Angeles, Calif. to Charleston, S.C. Its products recently assisted the FBI and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office in identifying and capturing the Columbus, Ohio highway sniper suspect.
In 2000, ShotSpotter was honored for its technology vision and leadership when it won the Computerworld Smithsonian Laureate Award, having been nominated by William H. Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp., and the Smithsonian added its technology to the museum's permanent collection. With technology covered by a U.S. Patent, and with other patents pending, the company also offers products to the homeland security and military markets. ShotSpotter technology has produced arrests and weapons confiscations nationwide and has helped reduce gunfire and crime rates in cities that deploy it. For more information, see www.shotspotter.com.
