The company that sells ShotSpotter, the acoustic gunshot detection technology that has come under attack recently from everyone from Boston city councilors to the state’s two US senators and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, is firing back. And it brought in the big guns to do so. Holding forth in an interview last week at the BostonContinue reading “Commonwealth Beacon: ShotSpotter Honchos Fire Back”
Author Archives: Eric Piza
Undark: In Some Cities Second Thoughts About Gunshot Detection Sensors
Recent studies on technology that alerts police to gunfire have found it has little impact on shootings or prosecutions. More than seven years ago, when the city of Chicago began its broad deployment of acoustic technology to identify and locate gunfire in high-crime neighborhoods, supporters promoted the system — which uses acoustic sensors, GPS software, andContinue reading “Undark: In Some Cities Second Thoughts About Gunshot Detection Sensors”
Chicago Justice Project: What does the science say about ShotSpotter?
In a first-of-its-kind independent analysis of the effectiveness of ShotSpotter, the science says the technology does not lead to more arrests and convictions for gun crimes and does not reduce these crimes in the areas where it is deployed. The study examined the impact of ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City. To understand the scienceContinue reading “Chicago Justice Project: What does the science say about ShotSpotter?”
The Conversation: I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City – here’s what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know
Like many large cities in the U.S., Detroit’s gun violence rate has fluctuated since the COVID-19 pandemic and the unrest after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The city’s murder rate increased nearly 20% that year, meaning the city had the second-highest violent crime rate after Memphis, Tennessee, among cities with more than 100,000 residents…
Space-Time Association between Gunshot Detection Alerts, Calls for Service, and Police Enforcement in Chicago: Differences Across Citizen Race and Incident Type
Eric L. Piza, George O. Mohler, Nathan T. Connealy, Rachael A. Arietti, and, Jeremy G. Carter (2024) Journal of Quantitative Criminology Research BriefVersion of Record (Open Access) Key Takeaways Research Summary Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson partially campaigned on a promise to terminate the City’s Gunshot Detection Technology (GDT) contract, arguing the system was unreliable, overlyContinue reading “Space-Time Association between Gunshot Detection Alerts, Calls for Service, and Police Enforcement in Chicago: Differences Across Citizen Race and Incident Type”
Wired: The Mystery of AI Gunshot-Detection Accuracy Is Finally Unraveling
How accurate are gunshot detection systems, really? For years, it’s been a secret, but new reports from San Jose and NYC show these systems have operated well below their advertised accuracy rates. Liz González’s neighborhood in East San Jose can be loud. Some of her neighbors apparently want the whole block to hear their cars,Continue reading “Wired: The Mystery of AI Gunshot-Detection Accuracy Is Finally Unraveling”
Boston Globe: Calling 911 in Cambridge? Soon, the city may send social workers instead of police.
CAMBRIDGE — It took less than a minute for the crew of five social workers in matching mint-green T-shirts to find people who could use some help. Right outside the door to their Central Square headquarters last month, they found a woman sitting on the ground with a few small bags, taking a rest inContinue reading “Boston Globe: Calling 911 in Cambridge? Soon, the city may send social workers instead of police.”
NGN: ShotSpotter improves detection and response to gunfire, but doesn’t reduce crime, Northeastern research finds
“Gun violence did not reduce in either (Kansas City or Chicago) following the introduction of ShotSpotter, and shootings were not anymore likely to be solved in either city,” Northeastern professor Eric Piza says. ShotSpotter gunfire detection technology has delivered as promised in terms of enabling police to quickly detect and respond to gunshots in twoContinue reading “NGN: ShotSpotter improves detection and response to gunfire, but doesn’t reduce crime, Northeastern research finds”
GBH 89.7 Boston Public Radio: 13 Mass. Municipalities and 1 University Use ShotSpotter. Critics wonder: Is It Worth It?
Boston police on patrol earlier this month say they heard “several loud bangs,” confirmed by a gunfire locator service called ShotSpotter, leading them to arrests of a Roxbury man on firearm charges. In New Bedford, a local man was detained last year after the system alerted police to a shooting near a housing development. AndContinue reading “GBH 89.7 Boston Public Radio: 13 Mass. Municipalities and 1 University Use ShotSpotter. Critics wonder: Is It Worth It?”
South Side Weekly: CPD Stats on ShotSpotter Full of Holes, Experts Say
A report by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) that said officers respond more quickly to ShotSpotter alerts than 911 calls doesn’t make a convincing argument for keeping the technology, according to experts who reviewed it. Eight university professors specializing in data science, sociology and criminology said the report lacked a number of key statistical measurements,Continue reading “South Side Weekly: CPD Stats on ShotSpotter Full of Holes, Experts Say”
Eric L. Piza, Ph.D. 