How ShotSpotter locates gunfire, helps police catch shooters and works to ‘denormalize’ gun violence

“ShotSpotter is the audio-sensing technology that alerts police in D.C. and about 90 other cities to when and where a gun has been fired by measuring the distance from its many sound sensors. Within 45 seconds, it can provide not only a detailed location for the origin of the gunfire, but also the actual sounds for an officer to listen to as they speed to the call. Washington Post reporter Clarence Williams sat down with Ralph A. Clark, the president and chief executive of SST, which devised ShotSpotter, to find out the details about how the technology works and what is its future. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.”