ShotSpotter’s Impact
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ShotSpotter is a tool that makes officers aware of gunfire incidents faster giving officers a better opportunity to save lives, improve evidence collection better serve their community.
By itself, it is not a cure-all, but when used as part of a comprehensive gun crime response strategy, it can contribute to positive outcomes for the police and the community.
Independent Academic Research Shows Impact of ShotSpotter on Communities
Enhances overall responses to gunfire
“Only 12% of gunfire incidents result in a 911 call to report gunshots.”
Source: Carr, J. B., and J. L. Doleac. 2016. “The geography, incidence, and underreporting of gun violence: new evidence using ShotSpotter data,” Brookings Research Paper
“With statistical confidence, we can say that ShotSpotter implementation led to the police being alerted to four times as many gunshot incidents during the study period. Before ShotSpotter was implemented, the average number of calls for service to report gunshots was seven per month. After ShotSpotter was implemented, the average number of reported gunshot calls for service increased to 31 per month.”
Source: Carr, J. 2021. “Measuring the Effects of ShotSpotter on Gunfire in St. Louis County, MO.” Policing Project at New York University School of Law.
Improves speed of response
“Gunshots are detected by the ShotSpotter system about 1.5 minutes before 911, giving police a 1.5-minute head start on responding to the scene, identifying victims and transporting victims to the hospital”
Source: Dr. Eric Piza, John Jay College
“By analyzing nine years of gun violence data from Camden, I uncovered that without ShotSpotter, police took an average of 5.4 minutes to respond compared with only 3.7 minutes when ShotSpotter was activated.”
Source: Goldenberg, A., D. Rattigan, M. Dalton, J. P. Gaughan, J. S. Thomson, K. Remick, C. Butts, and J. P. Hazelton. 2019. “Use of ShotSpotter Detection Technology Decreases Prehospital Time for Patients Sustaining Gunshot Wounds.” Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery 87(6): 1253–1259.
“Not only are officers dispatched faster compared to traditional citizen reports for shots fired (1.5 min for AGLS incidents versus 2.6 min for citizens reports), but they also complete their investigation in less time (averaging almost half an hour per citizen report, compared to less than 11 min per AGLS incident.”
Source: Mares, D., and E. Blackburn. 2012. “Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Acoustic Gunshot Location System in St. Louis, MO.” Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice 6: 26–42.
Improves spatial accuracy of response
“The distance between where a 911 caller reported a gunshot occurring and where the gunshot detection system identified where the shots occurred – on average, those two distances are about 234 feet away from each other in Kansas City.”
Source: Dr. Eric Piza, John Jay College
AGDS tend to provide accurate locational data, meaning that officers arrive at more precise locations.
Source: Mares, D. 2022. “Gunshot Detection - Reducing Gunfire through Acoustic Technology,” Smart Policing.
Reduces transport time and saves lives
“Research published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found that there was a 25% decrease in police transport time and a 20% decrease in EMS transport time.”
Source: Maher, Zoe, J. Beard, E. Dauer, M. Carroll, S. Forman, G. Topper, A. Pathak, T. Santora, L. Sjoholm, H. Zhao, A. Goldenberg. 2021. “Police transport of firearm-injured patients. More often and more injured.” The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery.
The activation of the ShotSpotter technology increased the likelihood of police transport of gunshot victims…This technology may be beneficial in enhancing the care of victims of penetrating trauma.”
Source: Goldenberg, A., D. Rattigan, M. Dalton, J. P. Gaughan, J. S. Thomson, K. Remick, C. Butts, and J. P. Hazelton. 2019. “Use of ShotSpotter Detection Technology Decreases Prehospital Time for Patients Sustaining Gunshot Wounds.” Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery 87(6): 1253–1259.
Improves evidence recovery
“When separating the cases by the type of crime, we observed 50.0% of homicide cases involving a firearm were noted to have retrieved shell casings in the time period prior to GDT, and this increased to 88.9% after the implementation. Robbery cases with shell casings saw a larger increase, from 11.8% to 41.2% before and after GDT.“
Source: Lawrence, D., N. La Vigne, and P. Thompson. 2019. "Evaluation of Gunshot Detection Technology to Aid in the Reduction of Firearms Violence." Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
“Police survey responses about the [AGDS] technology were positive, reporting that it enabled quicker identification of a crime scene, enhanced evidence collection, facilitated prosecution, and provided faster aid to victims.”
Source: Mares, D. 2022. “Gunshot Detection - Reducing Gunfire through Acoustic Technology,” Smart Policing.
“There were 129 NIBIN notifications regarding an incident that occurred during the ShotSpotter deployment. Of these, 32% included a match to a ShotSpotter-identified shooting. This proportion is remarkable considering the 129 notifications were for all of Clark County, while ShotSpotter was limited to just six square miles of coverage.”
Source: Koren, D. 2018. ShotSpotter Pilot Assessment. Las Vegas, NV: Las Vegas Police Metropolitan Police Department.
Additional notes for context: Clark County is 8,061 square miles and the deployment was less than 0.1% of the county geographically (6 square miles), while 32% of NIBIN matches were from ShotSpotter.
The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) automates ballistics evaluations and provides actionable investigative leads in a timely manner.
Additional notes for context: Clark County is 8,061 square miles and the deployment was less than 0.1% of the county geographically (6 square miles), while 32% of NIBIN matches were from ShotSpotter.
The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) automates ballistics evaluations and provides actionable investigative leads in a timely manner.
Impact on gun violence levels
Gun violence is a complex issue and there is no single solution for it. However, studies have shown that ShotSpotter can contribute to reductions when used as part of a comprehensive gun crime response strategy by helping police respond quickly and precisely to incidents of gunfire, the majority of which are never called into 911. It helps them to save the lives of victims, collect evidence and find witnesses to help investigations that can lead to the identification and prosecution of offenders.
“A study conducted in Cincinnati observed that serious gun violence is about 46% lower compared to the pre-treatment period and control tract simultaneously.”
Source: Mares, D.2021. “Evaluating an Acoustic Gunshot Detection System in Cincinnati.” In E. Groff and C. Haberman, eds. Forthcoming. The Study of Crime and Place: A Methods Handbook. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
“Across the eight police beats with ShotSpotter, reported assaults, which include gun-related assaults, declined by about 30 percent following the implementation of the technology relative to comparable areas without it.”
Source: Carr, Jillian. 2021. “Measuring the Effects of ShotSpotter on Gunfire in St. Louis County, MO.” Policing Project at New York University School of Law.
“Gunshot detection technology is a tool for addressing firearm violence that is most effective when law enforcement agencies thoroughly incorporate it into day-to-day procedures and operations. Although GDT’s accuracy has been thoroughly documented, its impacts on crime depend squarely on its implementation.”
Source: La Vigne, N., P. Thompson, D. Lawrence, and M. Goff. 2019. “Implementing Gunshot Detection Technology Recommendations for Law Enforcement and Muinicipal Partners.” Urban Institute.
ShotSpotter Helps Save Lives
Best Practice Report showcases how West Palm Beach utilizes ShotSpotter to save lives. Learn more.
Impact of ShotSpotter on Police Agencies Around the Nation
ShotSpotter Helps Police Take Illegal Guns Off The Streets
Pittsburgh, PA
40%
of crimes solved from alerts in ShotSpotter areas vs 10% in non-coverage areas
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Communities Support ShotSpotter
U.S.
66%
support the use of acoustic gunshot detection technology by law enforcement
69%
of respondents identifying as Hispanic support the use of gunshot detection technology by law enforcement
“Sixty percent of U.S. adults back the use of gunshot detection technology in general, and that support increases to 66 percent for its use by law enforcement and 65 percent for national agencies. 69 percent of respondents identifying as Hispanic support the use of gunshot detection technology by law enforcement.”
Source: Teale, Chris. 2021. “3 in 5 Adults Back the Use of Gunshot Detection generally. Even More Support Its Use By Law Enforcement”. Morning Consult.
Chicago | Illinois
72%
of respondents in Chicago support the use of gunshot detection technology
67%
of respondents identifying as African American have a favorable view of ShotSpotter
“72% of all respondents in Chicago supported acoustic gunshot detection with majority-levels of support in every district. Among those who credited the system with saving lives, support rose to 84%. 67% of respondents identifying as African American have a favorable view of ShotSpotter.”
Source: Chicago Community Sentiment Survey on Crime and Gunshot Detection. 2022. Fallon Research & Communications Inc. and the National Policing Institute
Cincinnati | Ohio
95%
agree ShotSpotter is an effective way to reduce crime
89%
would recommend ShotSpotter to other neighborhoods
“Following the deployment of ShotSpotter, nearly 95% of Price Hill residents surveyed agreed that ShotSpotter is an effective way to reduce crime, while nearly 90% believed that ShotSpotter represented a “good use” of taxpayer money. Residents were equally enthusiastic to share their positive experiences with others, with hearly 9 out of 10 willing to recommend ShotSpotter to another neighborhood.”
Source: Cincinnati Police Department: Price Hill ShotSpotter Survey Evaluation Report
