Opinion / The Sounds of Gun Violence
March 23, 2009
By James Beldock
As published in Government Security News
The specter of gun violence threatens cities virtually throughout the world, [...]1 many law enforcement and defense agencies are turning to wide-area acoustic surveillance systems in order to make the most of already scant resources -- and to give them an edge on gun crime.
Such systems detect, locate, classify and alert first responders to gunfire, explosions and other events in near real-time, providing clear, accurate and immediate situational awareness incidents. As a result, this situational awareness informs first responders and allows them first to prioritize, and then to respond more safely and effectively to the most violent situations. Additionally, because incident data is also collected and stored within the system’s historical database, investigation and forensic costs are substantially reduced, allowing agencies to do more with their existing resources.
Many agencies have also discovered the inherent value of this data and have begun effectively using the data and intelligence throughout all department levels -- from crime analysis and demographics to planning and resource allocation. Public safety agencies in particular now leverage this intelligence, analytics and forensic data gathered by their acoustic surveillance systems to create more comprehensive tactical operations, anti-crime strategies and solid criminal prosecutions. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is one agency employing the combination of incident alerts, overall gunfire activity data and detailed forensic analysis of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS) data across all department levels.
For nearly a decade, deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Advanced Surveillance and Protection Unit have been using the GLS at the Century Sheriff’s Station located in Lynwood, CA, to target and respond to gun violence. Initially used primarily to detect and precisely locate gunfire incidents and explosions, deputies have since evolved their use of the technology, making the data available throughout the different levels of their department and sharing that data with prosecutors. This step alone has given Century Station deputies access to previously unavailable intelligence regarding gunshot incidents. System data paints an accurate and comprehensive picture of gunfire activity within their coverage area, unbiased by under-reporting trends common in areas of high gun violence. Having this data has allowed deputies to analyze the magnitude of incidents within their coverage area and use this information to strengthen intelligence-led policing efforts already in progress.
Detectives and investigators have successfully used acoustic surveillance intelligence to cultivate investigative leads, recreate the sequence of events in a crime, aid in crime scene reconstruction and corroborate or refute witness testimony. The most recent case to use this data involved two gang members suspected of murder. Incident data was analyzed and used to confirm that two shooters had committed the crime, corroborate the testimony of the sole witness to the murder, establish a timeline of events and aid in the reconstruction of the crime scene. This data was also entered into evidence by the prosecuting attorney, assisting in the successful murder conviction of two known gang members.
For officers responding to acoustic surveillance alerts, the ability to respond to the precise location of a gunshot incident has reduced deputy response time, allowing them to find and secure evidence before it was corrupted and more importantly save lives. Most recently, the life of a 26-year-old man was saved thanks to the quick response of officers reacting to an acoustic surveillance alert. As no one called 9-1-1, this man could have succumbed to his injuries had deputies not had a wide-area acoustic surveillance system in place to alert and pinpoint the gunfire’s location.
Since implementing the GLS and using its data widely throughout their agency, deputies have been able to use system data both tactically and strategically to reduce gun violence. The results have been staggering: in the past four years, homicides have dropped 40 percent within the Century Station sector. Such results are solid proof of the mission-essential nature of wide-area acoustic surveillance systems, especially when implemented and used strategically across all levels of a public safety organization.
James Beldock is president & CEO of ShotSpotter. He can be reached at: jbeldock@shotspotter.com
1 The original text of this article contained references to potentially increasing crime rates due to the current economic crisis. As more data have come in, I decided to remove these references until the picture becomes clearer. To date, the data are mixed and do not conclusively point to an increase in crime. --JGB 9 June 2009
View article on Government Security News
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