Cities See Decrease in Crime with ShotSpotter
Norwalk Citizen News
By David Hennessey
Article Launched: 10/24/2008 11:56:18 AM EDT
Norwalk, October 24th, 2008 Over the summer, Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling expressed interest in the use of ShotSpotter as one measure to deter and control violence that was on the upswing in the city. The ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS), a technology that relies on wide-area acoustic surveillance coupled with audio analytics to pinpoint where and when weapons are discharged for public safety, just may be the future of crime fighting.
For would-be perpetrators and criminals wielding dangerous weapons, ShotSpotter could prove to be their worst enemy. If Norwalk does adopt the system, it could become an invaluable tool, because in cities like Los Angeles, ShotSpotter has been stomping out criminal activity since the 1990s.
ShotSpotter can pinpoint the location of a discharge or explosion like a gunshot down to the foot. The GLS, which was developed from preexisting 50-year old technology, triangulates the location of a sound and then transmits corresponding data about the incident to waiting computers. GLS can even be modified to detect other sounds like approaching helicopters. There are other gunshot detection systems on the market, including one from Ariz.-based Safety Dynamics.
The Norwalk Citizen-News recently spoke to officials incities on the East Coast that are also using ShotSpotter to fight crime with positive results. "We've seen a significant reduction in gunfire," said Mike Bialaszewski, who works for the Rochester, N.Y., Research and Evaluation Division of the city's police department. "It has worked out for us. It's a good tool and an effective tool, though it's not a perfect tool. We've definitely got our money's worth."
Bialaszewski said the city of Rochester has seen a 43 percent reduction in gunfire since the system went live in July of 2006. Rochester's ShotSpotter covers six square miles of a notoriously dangerous sliver of the city known as "The Crescent."
"Within 48 hours of turning the system on we had our first felony arrest," he said, adding that ShotSpotter has been responsible for about one arrest per month.
"What's particularly impressive about the system is that it can pinpoint different types of weapons used as well as discharges from a moving vehicle," Bialaszewski said. "The people at ShotSpotter have been very receptive to our needs."
Bialaszewski went on to say that the system reports in an unbiased manner incidents that civilians might hesitate to call in to police. Much of Rochester's success, he said, has come from getting the word out about the GLS system and its perception within the community.
Bialaszewski also said one of the few drawbacks of ShotSpotter is the potential for a false positive like the sound from a firework. Even in those instances, however, the system can often distinguish gunfire from other non-violent loud noises.
According to information provided by ShotSpotter Inc., the GLS provides customers with "acoustic event awareness and accurate actionable intelligence to aid their development of proactive anti-crime strategies and operations. Currently, the ShotSpotter GLS protects many cities and countries nationwide, consistently producing arrests and weapons confiscations Incidents are explicitly identified, classified, and logged for aggregate analysis to reveal patterns, trends, and hotspots Forensic data that can either corroborate or refute testimony and aid with crime scene reconstruction"
The Nassau County Police Department in New York is expecting to have ShotSpotter in place by the end of the year.
"We're excited about getting the system. It will have a strong deterrent effect, help protect life and will increase our forensic capabilities," said Inspector Tom Krumpter of the Nassau County Police Department. Nassau County's system will cover a three square mile area in the cities of Roosevelt and Uniondale, N.Y.
Despite a 21 percent drop in crime over the past five years in Nassau County, Krumpter said the system would be yet another step forward in the combat against street violence.
"We're not satisfied. This is another tool in the tool box," he said.
Nassau County has incorporated the ShotSpotter GLS system into its crime fight arsenal through $800,000 in funds seized from criminals. Community response, Krumpter said, has been overwhelmingly positive.
The first reaction you get from people is one where they think Big Brother will be watching. When you really sit down and look at it, the system is passive and reactionary in nature," Krumpter said.
Erin Lopez |
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