ShotSpotter Technology Helps Police Locate Source of Gunfire
The Santa Clara, Calif., firm ShotSpotter recently placed microphones in high-crime regions in around 12 U.S. cities that locate gunfire and contact police dispatchers. Advocates claim the system can do away with the inconsistency that occurs when people report hearing of gunshots.
The Oakland, Calif., Police Department, which implemented 100 such devices in October covering around a half-dozen square miles in high-crime neighborhoods, enacted its system right away. On Oct. 28, ShotSpotter was first to inform police about a man in an automobile firing an assault rifle at several individuals in East Oakland. The recording of the gunfire lasts for several seconds and portrays the firing of 20 or more rounds, Sgt. Phil Green explained.
ShotSpotter depends on a computer to determine the position of the shooter by triangulation, utilizing the slight variance in time the shots were heard by every listening station. It can send police to within 40 feet of where shots occurred, ShotSpotter claims. In addition, it can tell the difference between gunfire and other similar-sounding noises such as fireworks and backfiring cars, ShotSpotter’s Gregg Rowland states.
The systems cost between $100,000 and $2 million.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Associated Press (10/31/06); Curtis, Kim.
