ShotSpotter Blog

How can PDs create a bigger and better impact with fewer resources and more outside pressure? By deploying police patrol software that does these 5 things.

To our ShotSpotter Customers and Communities: Over the past 25 years, ShotSpotter has been at the forefront of providing tools that have proven to help protect some of our most vulnerable communities. Our acoustic gunshot detection service quickly identifies, locates and alerts police to criminal gunfire. Without these alerts, police are left hoping for a […]

Tight budgets, recruitment challenges and community accountability have made patrol management increasingly difficult. In this post, we discuss 4 actions agencies can take to improve patrolling outcomes. 

If you’re only using an RMS for your police operations, you’re losing key functionality when it comes to your investigations. In this blog, we discuss the difference between an RMS and a true case management system, and why you need both.

Use of force investigations are complex and require both criminal and administrative case folders. In this blog, we discuss the nuances and best practices for conducting bifurcated investigations that are both thorough and compliant.

When police use of force incidents occur, it’s important to comprehensively document them. But once you do, you can’t just file away the report without any follow-up. In this blog, we discuss 6 important guidelines to follow when reviewing use of force reports.

A use of force report is a critical piece of documentation that shouldn’t be taken lightly by field officers and supervisors alike – no matter the severity of the incident. In this blog, we cover 4 high-level standards to follow when putting these reports together.

Due to the nature of a police officer’s job, social distancing looks a bit different than your average citizen situation. While always maintaining a high level of situational awareness, here are a few different scenarios and recommended protocols to follow in the field.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has hit the United States hard: we now have the most cases in the world. And law enforcement agencies who are on the front lines are seeing this virus take a toll on their workforce. Members are increasingly testing positive for COVID-19, while others are being quarantined due to exposure.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is here in the U.S., and there are reports of law enforcement officers testing positive. In New York City, there has been an increase in confirmed sick reports and exposures related to the virus at police and correction departments.

The new Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is shaping up to be a serious situation as the number of reported cases and deaths continues to climb. The most important thing is that citizens, healthcare professionals, governments and law enforcement alike stay informed and prepared. In this blog, we take a deeper dive into the virus’ impact on law enforcement and Continuity of Operations (COOP).

Investigation caseload is a never-ending battle. Whether crime is up or down, cases never wait for your investigative unit to have more bandwidth. In this post, we’ll cover three important considerations for balancing caseload more effectively.

Police and law enforcement organizations face more challenges than ever before when it comes to building, tracking and clearing cases. In this post, we examine six underlying factors that slow down an investigation – and what can be done to speed things up.

Law enforcement agencies need a holistic approach that incorporates – at the very least – these eight keys to address clearance rates.

Police case management in the digital age has never been more important. But it’s also a significant pain point for an agency when it comes to development, implementation and maintenance. In this post, we’ll take a look at the six biggest IT hurdles to case management software and how departments can overcome them with a cloud-based solution.

Many in the law enforcement and emergency responder community – including police and fire departments, hazardous materials, emergency medical services, medical examiners and urban search and rescues – consult with subject matter experts (SME) on the job and eventually become one themselves post-retirement.

In this post, we’ll highlight 4 steps police and law enforcement organizations can follow to more accurately capture and manage tips and leads.

How did we get to this point in our nation where people believe they can get away with such lawlessness? How did lawlessness become so empowered? Well, there’s plenty of blame to go around.

In addition to serving our communities, we must always be thinking of how we support our families, which means we can’t lose sight of what we plan to do after the job. In this post, I’ll discuss various career and retirement options, so you can move forward with your life.

How can law enforcement efficiently capture tips to better inform the operational and investigative process? In this post, we’ll examine the importance of criminal intelligence database software and four key features your software must have.

Seven NYPD officers have taken their own life in 2019, as of July 27, 2019. And back in June, Chief Terence Monahan of the NYPD responded to another suicide with a disturbing fact: approximately 100 law enforcement officers across the nation had also taken their own lives to date. This is a national epidemic.

In February 2019, the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) announced that they were running out of funding and will have to cut payouts to victims. Resources are dwindling, but the number of victims claiming for family member deaths and toxin-related illnesses is still growing. What is going on, and what can be done to prevent further damage?

Today, law enforcement has a wide variety of technology tools at their disposal to help investigate, and sometimes even thwart, a crime. One of those tools, Facial Recognition Software (FRS), has been getting a lot of attention as of late. Much of this attention is due to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors’ recent ban, preventing police from using this technology. Why?

Police investigations are the engine of the criminal justice system. They help investigators build the case in the field and prosecutors make the case in the courtroom. But none of this is possible without the right case management tools. In this post, we’ll look at 3 key features your law enforcement case management software must have.

The processes for documenting crime scenes have changed immeasurably in the last 30 years. But while it’s clear forensics has benefited from these changes, many CSIs have failed to keep up with advancements. In this post, we’ll examine why that is and how agencies can get smarter.

Ed Wallace, retired First Grade Detective from the NYPD, offers his opinion on the state of gun control in the wake of mass shooting events.

From body cameras and drones to facial recognition and artificial intelligence, public safety agencies are slowly overcoming the hurdles of procurement to realize the collaboration benefits technology has to offer – such as improved communication, public safety and crime-solving rates. But without the right software to unite everything into one cohesive system, agencies are falling short.

How many law enforcement officers would still have their lives today if they had been properly trained and equipped to perform tactical combat casualty care (TCCC)?

Those who worked at Ground Zero, the Fresh Kills Land Fill and the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s morgue were all needlessly exposed to a toxic cocktail of biologicals, chemicals, heavy metals and carcinogenic materials.

Modern police departments can increase solvability, improve courtroom readiness and boost overall agency effectiveness. But only with the right approach to investigation case management. In this post, we’ll look at 5 things they do better than anyone else.

As the opioid crisis worsens law enforcement is increasingly called upon to intervene.

While forensic practices have come a long way, work must be done to improve standards in order for law enforcement to conduct more efficient and trustworthy criminal investigations.

As a critical source of record, body cameras can help connect the dots in the course of an investigation. But will political interests, privacy concerns and a few bad apples derail the conversation?

Tattoos, birthmarks, height, weight, motor vehicle information … all of these seemingly minor details can actually make a big difference in whether a criminal case is solved or not.

How do you lock down the management of a law enforcement tips and leads hotline? There are three big decision points that give an agency the best chance to properly setup a hotline and ensure it receives the solid information needed to create investigative successes.

ShotSpotter has two environmental initiatives which have shown great technical promise – protecting rhinos in Africa from poaching and locating fish bomb blasts in the tropics. The poaching initiative will be discussed in another blog while protecting tropical reefs and communities from Blast Fishing is discussed here. Blast Fishing, scarcely known in Europe and North […]

Want to handle a surplus in leads but not sure how? Check out our law enforcement lead scoring tips to managing a large-scale investigation, no matter the agency size.

The future of forensic standards for law enforcement is still in question, but getting prepared for potential changes is essential.

These features and benefits are all non-negotiable when it comes to selecting case management software for your law enforcement agency.

Investigations revealing indicators missed prior to a crime are all too common. Learn how the right software solution can prevent this from happening.

Police departments around the world have realized the power of conducting social media investigations—but are they properly equipped to harness these often sporadic leads into actionable intelligence?

Security classifications are critical when preparing crime reports. Learn what your RMS could be missing and how to fix it.

Cloud providers operate on massive scales and offer the highest levels of expertise and resources that simply aren’t available at most police departments, this adds value for agencies moving to the cloud including increased reliability, accessibility, security and integrity.

Leading a multi-generational workforce requires accepting that each generation has differences – different values, technology preferences, career goals, communication styles and work-life balance needs to name a few.

Investigators collect a large amount of information and evidence. Most rely on their records management system and long narratives to document their findings and to prepare their cases for court. This makes it difficult to categorize information and evidence, and it makes it impossible to visually and quickly see the contents of a lengthy investigation.