You’ve no doubt heard the term “the first 48”, referring to the two days following a homicide when detectives are most likely to locate crucial leads and evidence. Police who respond to gunfire also focus on the first 48, but in their world, it’s in seconds. Simply put, the sooner that officers can arrive on scene, the greater chance that suspects will be captured, weapons will be confiscated, and crucial evidence will be collected.

In this month’s blog entry, we highlight a real-world example of how rapid police response assisted by ShotSpotter GLS data, lead to the arrest of three gang members and the confiscation of three illegal firearms.

In a west coast city, at approximately 2 am, police dispatch received a ShotSpotter GLS alert notifying them of multiple shots fired.

Listen to the gunfire:

A nearby officer was immediately dispatched to the scene and arrived in time to spot a car speeding recklessly around a corner. As the officer pursued the suspect, the driver attempted to flee across a bridge to a neighboring city. The officer, now assisted by back up, maintained close pursuit until the suspect’s vehicle eventually slammed into a curb blowing out the car tires. Immediately after crashing, three adult males exited the car and a foot chase ensued. Fortunately, a perimeter had been set up by members of six different police precincts, and the suspects had nowhere to run. Police apprehended the men who were later determined to be gang members. They were arrested and three illegal firearms were confiscated.

Location of the incident as shown on the ShotSpotter Public Safety Console (PSC)

Following the successful arrest of the suspects, police used ShotSpotter GLS data to return to the scene of the original shooting where they obtained bullet casings that will support prosecution efforts.

In the above situation, seconds truly mattered, as the rapid police response allowed the responding officer to witness the fleeing car, enabling an eventual capture of the suspects.

Had officers been dispatched from the lone 9-1-1 call, coming in a full minute after the ShotSpotter alert, the outcome could have been much different.

About the Success of the Month

Each month we feature an incident where a customer’s ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System played an integral role in removing a threat from our streets. The ShotSpotter GLS provides law enforcement with near real-time alerts, aggregated intelligence data, and forensic data that regularly lead to a successful arrests, weapons confiscations and prosecutions.

*Please note that some incident details have been altered to preserve both customer and public privacy.