A California high school is among the first in the nation to install gunshot-sensing microphones on campus

A high school near Sacramento, California has become one of the first on the West Coast to install gunshot-sensing technology on campus, as part of an effort to speed up police response to potential active shooter incidents.

CBS News reports the ShotSpotter technology at Newark Memorial High School can pinpoint the location of gunfire within about 10 feet.

During tests this week, police analyzed data from sensors "inside hallways and offices in more than 20 buildings on the 43-acre campus."

SST, Inc., the company that developed the SecureCampus technology says the gunshot sensors can detect how many shots were fired and "deliver real time updates to 9-1-1, the responding officers' patrol cars and their cell phones."

Principal Phil Morales, who is also a former police officer, likened the need for gunshot sensors to the necessity of fire alarms, telling CBS News "If there's a fire that happens, and the alarm goes off, we know how to react."

The technology comes at a time when mass shootings have sparked national conversations about gun safety.

In light of the legislative difficulties lawmakers have encountered over the more controversial topic of gun control, the discussion has shifted toward the need to mitigate potential causalities from mass shooting incidents.

Business Insider has found that the US has a much higher rate of homicides than all but three of the 34 nations observed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.