CLAYTON, Mo. -- St. Louis County police are adopting technology already used in the city of St. Louis in an effort to reduce shootings.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the county council voted Tuesday to authorize County Executive Steve Stenger to accept a $400,636 U.S. Department of Justice grant that would, in part, acquire a Shotspotter system.

The system uses microphones that alert police to the sound of gunfire. It will be added to the Castle Point area of north St. Louis County, with a range of two or three miles.

St. Louis police have used Shotspotter in some neighborhoods where violence is common since 2008. Other big cities also use the technology.