When a gunshot goes off, police will tell you seconds matter, which is why for years, the gunshot warning technology called ShotSpotter has been so popular with police departments across the country. “To know where the incidents of gunshots are taking place and to be able to respond immediately, as quickly as possible, is veryContinue reading “NBC News Boston: Is ShotSpotter Gunfire Detection Technology Actually Helping our Communities?”
Author Archives: Eric Piza
Mirror Indy: IMPD Recommended City Contract With ShotSpotter After 2022 Pilot
Roughly 18 months after police officials labeled gunshot detection technology as not “fiscally responsible,” an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department working group reversed course and recommended purchasing ShotSpotter services, according to a 2023 report obtained by Mirror Indy. In 2021, against a backdrop of protesters calling for the city to defund the police, IMPD Deputy Chief KendaleContinue reading “Mirror Indy: IMPD Recommended City Contract With ShotSpotter After 2022 Pilot”
Staggered Deployment of Gunshot Detection Technology in Chicago, IL: A Matched Quasi‑Experiment of Gun Violence Outcomes
Nathan T. Connealy, Eric L. Piza, Rachael A. Arietti, George O. Mohler, and, Jeremy G. Carter (2024) Journal of Experimental Criminology Research BriefVersion of Record (Open Access) Key Takeaways Research Summary Gunshot detection technology (GDT) functions through a network of acoustic sensors that detect sounds from firearm muzzle blasts that can be audibly distinguished fromContinue reading “Staggered Deployment of Gunshot Detection Technology in Chicago, IL: A Matched Quasi‑Experiment of Gun Violence Outcomes”
SVT Nyheter (Swedish): American Scientist says Victims of Gun Violence Did Not Decrease BEcause of ShotSpotter
Tekniken med skottmikrofoner finns sedan tidigare i USA – men det har ifrågasatts hur väl den fungerar trots att larmen når polisen i genomsnitt 1,5 minuter tidigare. – Offren för vapenvåld minskade inte i varken Kansas City eller Chicago, dessutom löstes inte skjutningar i högre grad, säger forskaren Eric Piza.
Chicago Tribune: With ShotSpotter Staying in Chicago for the Time Being, Dispute Continues Over the System’s Usefulness
Early one morning last May, on a bungalow-lined street in Avalon Park, ShotSpotter detected real gunshots: more than half a dozen rounds fired. It was a busy night, and officers didn’t make it to the scene for more than half an hour. But when they arrived they found 24-year-old Aréanah Preston, a Loyola law studentContinue reading “Chicago Tribune: With ShotSpotter Staying in Chicago for the Time Being, Dispute Continues Over the System’s Usefulness”
Vital City: Learning about ShotSpotter — and Gun Violence — from Chicago
Research shows the technology doesn’t reduce shootings or increase clearance rates, but it may have other benefits. On February 13, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that the city’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection system would be discontinued, with a phasing out of the technology set to begin this September. ShotSpotter is the global leader in gunshot detection technologyContinue reading “Vital City: Learning about ShotSpotter — and Gun Violence — from Chicago”
Springer Nature: Breaking barriers: Dr. Eric L. Piza’s evolution from an undergrad researcher to open access crusader in crime analysis and policing
As an undergraduate at Rutgers University, Dr. Eric L. Piza stumbled upon an opportunity that would shape his career trajectory: a flier for research assistant positions at the Police Institute, under the guidance of Professor George Kelling. Little did he know that this experience would discover a world of collaborative problem-solving, crime analysis, and research thatContinue reading “Springer Nature: Breaking barriers: Dr. Eric L. Piza’s evolution from an undergrad researcher to open access crusader in crime analysis and policing”
Governing: New Policing Strategies and the Challenge of Implementation
The policing profession spends a lot of time discussing and studying programs and policies, and less time thinking about how they’re implemented. Why can a program that’s effective in one city be a disaster in another city? How much of a program or policy’s effectiveness can be attributed to the way it was implemented? AtContinue reading “Governing: New Policing Strategies and the Challenge of Implementation”
KMBC News 9: New Study Questions Effectiveness of Gunfire Detection System Used by KCPD
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 withinContinue reading “KMBC News 9: New Study Questions Effectiveness of Gunfire Detection System Used by KCPD”
NPR Kansas City: ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection System Fails to Reduce Violent Crime in Kansas City, Study Says
The Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners recently approved spending $200,000 for another year of ShotSpotter, a surveillance technology, despite a new study that says it doesn’t achieve the city’s public safety goals.An audio surveillance technology the Kansas City Police Department uses to detect the location of gunshots has failed to reduce violent crime, aContinue reading “NPR Kansas City: ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection System Fails to Reduce Violent Crime in Kansas City, Study Says”
Eric L. Piza, Ph.D. 