PITTSBURGH — Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter says Allegheny County is virtually guaranteed to get $750,000 for a system of anti-crime surveillance cameras in Pittsburgh and its suburbs.

The Justice Department funding is in an appropriations bill. Once it passes, Specter says the county can buy 40 new cameras, plus software to link them and other cameras already in place to the county's emergency management network.

The 64 surveillance cameras already in place include Penn-DOT traffic cameras and those owned by universities and businesses.

The new cameras can detect gunshots and automatically alert 911 dispatchers. The units also will have sensors to detect dangerous chemicals or radiation if there is a terrorist attack.