Six Months Later, Police Say ShotSpotter a Worthwhile Tool

Six months after police activated the ShotSpotter system, Pasadena Now asked police for updated results on several statistics.

The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system is designed to help law enforcement officials identify, locate and deter gun violence.

The real-time alerts notify police precisely when and where gun incidents are occurring, resulting in faster, more accurate responses to the scene to provide medical attention to gunshot victims, recover evidence and interview witnesses.

The overall goal is to reduce gun violence and improve the safety of the community.

Since the system went live on Feb 9, there have been 63 alerts of gunfire or probable gunfire.

One of those alerts led to two arrests from an alert in April. Two firearms were recovered at the scene.

The system has also helped save lives, police said.

Because of the system’s ability to provide an exact location, officers and paramedics were able to respond quickly to provide life-saving medical aid to a female gunshot victim who had been shot multiple times.

Response time to a ShotSpotter alert is about three minutes.

Police said it’s hard to tell how many false alarms they have responded to due to the system.

“This question is not easily answered as often, when the police department personnel receive an alert, officers respond and do not locate evidence of a shooting,” Pasadena police Lt. William Grisafe told Pasadena Now. “This does not definitively imply a shooting did not occur, it just means officers could not find evidence of a shooting.”

When a gunshot occurs, the system’s sensors work instantly to triangulate the sound and pinpoint the location of the gunfire.

According to the manufacturer, trained ShotSpotter acoustic experts are on duty 24/7 to review and qualify all gunfire incidents. If the acoustic expert determines the sound to be actual gunfire, a detailed alert is sent to the local law enforcement agency. The review and alert occur within a minute or less of the actual gunfire event.

Nationwide, fewer than 20% of all gunshots are reported to 911 dispatchers. ShotSpotter technology is expected to eliminate the reliance on delayed and/or unreported calls and the immediate alerts should enable officers to mobilize and safely respond to the incident quickly, police said.
Interestingly, Pasadena is hovering around that national average.

The gunfire data can also provide investigating officers with detailed information to improve evidence collection, prosecution and overall crime-fighting efforts.

In early October, the City Council approved a $640,000, three-year contract for the software.

In October police said the system could save lives and possibly deter shootings.

Residents opposing the technology have said it does not work and it not address issues that lead to crime.

Critics also point to research that said ShotSpotter produced low arrest numbers and privacy issues.

“This gunfire detection system is definitely a helpful tool for law enforcement as it provides valuable and precise information for responding officers,” Grisafe said.