It can be helpful to think of the police-community relationship as a social contract in which community members agree to give up certain liberties in exchange for protection. This contract can be viewed as a delicate dance because agencies have a lot of discretionary power and require significant trust from...
I am proud to work for a company that is steadfast in its commitment to improving the world. Whether that’s through reducing gun violence, preventing rhino poaching, or building out initiatives to boost community safety, ShotSpotter continually demonstrates it’s a trailblazing organization that serves as a positive force for change....
Ultimately, serving the community and treating citizens in a just manner is the standard that all police officers should adhere to. But with this said, we are well aware that even the word justice is highly charged, given that many citizens in communities around the country (and the world) have...
At ShotSpotter, we appreciate and respect the ACLU’s mission to defend and preserve individual rights and liberties. With its influence and prominent platform for doing good, though, comes the responsibility to be accurate and fair. Unfortunately, the August 2021 byline titled “Four Problems with the ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection System” contained...
All too often, the desire for safer and healthier communities is palpable, yet challenges arise due to a lack of trust between stakeholders, limited resources, and disagreements over proposed solutions. To overcome these common obstacles and move forward in stemming the tide of violence, community members should consider these holistic,...
Many of our individual activities leave behind a digital trail. Cell phone activities. Credit cards. Social media engagement. Website clicks. Today, our digital trails have become so expansive that people are more conscious of privacy issues than ever before. Just because you share personal information through the devices you use...
Recent research from Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia highlighted a troubling truth: Exposure to gun violence trauma is associated with higher rates of mental health-related emergency department visits by children. In the study, a child is considered exposed to gun violence when they live within 4-5 blocks of...
The relationship between police and community centers around a complex and deeply rooted social contract that will take concentrated effort and time to piece back together. But there are some actionable steps police can take to start improving relations. 1. Identify Areas Experiencing the Highest Level of Trauma & Gun...
One of the most critical initiatives for law enforcement today is improving police-community relations. High levels of urban violence—and resulting trauma—stands in the way of this mission. To start improving police-community relations, we must get to the root of the problem, which is mistrust because of a broken social contract....
Police-community engagement is now recognized as an important part of every law enforcement agency’s mission to better connect and collaborate with the public, and to improve participation in problem-solving endeavors.