(CNN) – The device is relatively small, but it can have a big impact on school security in Hooksett.

It’s called a shooter detection system, or SDS, and it will notify school officials and first responders if there is gunfire inside a building.

“When we arrive at the school, opposed to wondering, trying to find where the shots are coming from, where the shooter is, this system and technology will alert us where the shots are coming from,” explained Chief Janet Bouchard with the Hooksett Police Department.

The system uses a combination of acoustics and infrared sensors to identify a muzzle flash, recognize it’s a firearm, pinpoint the location and immediately send that information to school officials and first responders.

This is the first time it’s being installed in a New Hampshire school district.

“What we know from some of the tragedies that have occurred elsewhere across the nation, those first few minutes are vital, and it’s important for public safety, when they show up, to know where the bad guy is, and this seems to accomplish both those things,” stated Superintendent Phil Littlefield.

The units are going into the three Hooksett schools. It costs about $160,000, but officials are hoping to get most of that covered by the state.

Police say they already have a variety of measures to prevent a shooter from ever getting into a building and this is just another tool available in the face of violence.

“At the end of the day, we just want to be as prepared as we can, working with our police department and with our administration at the school, doing drills and all those type of things. Again, this is just another complement to what we already have in place,” said Phil Denbow with the Hooksett School Board.

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