Denver Police Hope To Expand 'SpotShotter' Technology With More Funding
DENVER (CBS4) - Fire a gun in Denver and the cops will find you faster than ever with a new audio system called ShotSpotter.
The developers of the technology say it can tell the difference between a gunshot and a fire cracker, and guarantee that it can pinpoint from where the shots were fired to about 80 feet.
ShotSpotter proved it works just hours after the Denver Police Department began using it in January.
"We were able to zero in on where the shots came from, go there, glean information right away and subsequently make an arrest," said Sonny Jackson of DPD.
On Monday, the department plans to ask the city for half a million dollars to pay for a year's worth of ShotSpotter technology.
"ShotSpotter notifies us within 38 seconds of the first shot and it gets us to within 25 meters of where the shooter was standing," said Captain Steven Carter.
Since DPD began testing ShotSpotter officers have received hundreds of ShotSpotter alerts -- approximately 40 per month -- leading to a few dozen arrests, often without depending on the help of citizens reporting shots fired.
"In two-thirds of the alerts we get from ShotSpotter, no citizens called us. So what that tells us is we would've missed 66% of the gunfire incidents in that area," said the captain.
Police say citizens should still call 911 if something that sounds like gunshots fired is heard.
ShotSpotter has been placed in high crime areas, but the Denver police will not say exactly where. They do not want criminals to damage the system.
Spending another half a million on ShotSpotter would pay for a year of service and triple the coverage in Denver.
Howard Nathan is a veteran newsman. Decades later, he still enjoys writing a clever sentence, asking the tough question and talking to people in Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Howard and read his bio.
