NCJ Number
229411
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 57 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2009 Pages: 46-50
Date Published
October 2009
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes and discusses the features and benefits of the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS), which detects the sound and location of gunfire.
Abstract
The obvious benefit of the GLS, and the primary reason for its rapidly expanding deployment, is that patrol units and emergency medical services are alerted to a shooting immediately after it is detected by the GLS, and any victim of the gunshot can be located. Police and emergency medical personnel respond much faster to gunshot incidents and increase the chances that victims' lives can be saved. Detection rates for gunshot incidents increase as well. Another benefit of the GLS system is increased officer safety. The ShotSpotter GLS records audio from each shooting incident as it is heard at each sensor. It reports incidents both to dispatch and to in-car mobile data computers. Officers thus gain critical situational awareness as they drive to the scene, since they know the precise location where shots were fired. By listening to the sound of the gunfire, trained officers can determine the number of guns involved and the caliber range. Officers have information needed to plan their tactics prior to arriving at the scene. In addition, a GLS provides intelligence information that aids in crime reduction. The GLS produces and permanently stores precise latitude/longitude data for each incident, along with the number of rounds fired, the speed and direction of moving shooters, and possibly the number of shooters involved. It thus creates a "gunfire history" of a city over time. This is critical information for identifying gunfire "hot spots" that require special attention. Further, a GLS system reduces the time and cost of investigations and increases convictions in gunshot cases due to the rapid police response and the ability of investigators to recreate gunshot incidents from the GLS data. 4 figures