KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
A newly released study found that the gunfire detection system the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has been using since 2012 hasn’t reduced any violent crime categories.
The study published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology looked at data both before and after the technology was installed.
“Also, shootings that occurred within the target area were not any more likely to be solved than shootings that occurred in other areas of the city,” Dr. Eric Piza, a researcher for the study, said.
Kansas City uses an audio detection system called ShotSpotter.
The system is designed to notify KCPD more quickly than a 911 call and identify the location of the gunfire.
Sergeant Jake Becchina says KCPD’s internal study found that 70 percent of the time, nobody calls when there’s outdoor gunfire…
Eric L. Piza, Ph.D. 