This is largely due to the increase in using data to identify problems and direct preventative efforts. Introducing science in the form of evidence-based policing has proven more effective at reducing crime and improving community safety than traditional methods. While significant progress has been made, we still have a ways...
And high-visibility police patrols are a proven crime deterrent. But tight budgets and staffing challenges have increasingly made staffing patrol operations difficult. In this post, we’ll discuss problem-oriented policing, an innovative approach designed to bring policing to where it’s needed most. What is Problem-Oriented Policing and Why is it Important?...
It’s a difficult environment with more retirements and resignations negatively impacting cities and leading to burnout for existing officers. “Normal” staffing levels may never return. But with that said, ShotSpotter is here to support the law enforcement profession and maximize the impact of your limited resources. While we are known...
The outlook is stark. Across the country, law enforcement agencies are facing a staffing crisis, both in the recruitment and retention of officers. A June 2021 survey, by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), of about 200 police departments reflected a resignation rate up 18% between April 2020 and March...
Police accountability is essential to functioning democratic societies. It helps ensure officers act within the bounds of the law, improves police-community relations and enhances police legitimacy. This accountability is two-fold: Internally, it relates to the responsibility that officers have to the law, their supervisors, and their department. Externally, it relates...
To understand how a precision policing platform helps law enforcement prevent crime and enhance community trust, let’s first address the precision policing philosophy that is the foundation of ShotSpotter’s platform. Precision policing is a framework for structuring, managing, motivating, and leading a twenty-first-century police force. It’s built upon the...
To overcome these challenges, many law enforcement agencies are evolving to become more data-driven and proactive, while focusing on improving relations with the community and better allocating limited resources in the process. In this article, we’ll cover some of the shortcomings of 20th-century policing strategies (and how they came to...
In a recent PERF survey, 48% of police agencies reported budget and staffing shortages. Resource constraints have forced many agencies to make tough decisions on where and how to deploy resources. And, the timing of these resource challenges couldn’t be worse. Over the last year, cities have faced multiple pandemics....
Police departments around the country are struggling to manage the large amounts of data they collect each day. In this blog, we discuss how a crime analysis program can help.
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.