COLUMBUS, Ohio — As U.S. cities grapple with gun violence, city leaders and law enforcement agencies have approached the issue in a myriad of ways, including investing in community-based organizations and nonprofits that focus on violence prevention efforts to address the root causes. More than 170 law enforcement agencies have sought help in the form ofContinue reading “‘More of a Band-Aid’: US cities canceling ShotSpotter due to cost, efficacy questions”
Category Archives: Expert Commentary
Advanced Security Cameras Give Cities New Ways to Deter Vandalism and Theft
The prank sounds harmless enough: High school students wait until dark, pour soap into a public fountain and laugh as it fills up with bubbles. But when it happened 17 times in one year — ruining several $30,000 pumps and requiring a two-day cleanup process each time — city officials in Opelika, Ala., began searching for aContinue reading “Advanced Security Cameras Give Cities New Ways to Deter Vandalism and Theft”
As ShotSpotter rolls out in Tacoma, feelings over gunshot detection technology remain mixed
In an effort to curb gun crime, Tacoma announced last year that it was turning to a tool called ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter is a form of Gun Detection Technology (GDT), which uses a series of acoustic microphone sensors to track loud bangs, booms, and pops in a designated area. Once those “dynamic events” are triggered, aContinue reading “As ShotSpotter rolls out in Tacoma, feelings over gunshot detection technology remain mixed”
Dozens of Cities Are Paying for Gunshot Detection Tech They May Not Need
A new analysis by The Trace identified cities across the country that are using ShotSpotter despite averaging fewer than one shooting a month in which someone was killed or injured.
AI gunshot detection technology at UMD raises concerns about false positives, policing
UMPD has spent more than $135,000 on AI gunshot detection with payments spanning 2017 to 2023, despite concerns about the technology’s accuracy, according to records obtained by The Diamondback. University of Maryland Police use ShotSpotter — an artificial intelligence-based acoustic gunshot detection system owned by the technology company SoundThinking — to alert campus police inContinue reading “AI gunshot detection technology at UMD raises concerns about false positives, policing”
Commonwealth Beacon: ShotSpotter Honchos Fire Back
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”
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”
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.”
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?”
Eric L. Piza, Ph.D. 