Tacoma, Washington — Tacoma police on Tuesday announced plans to deploy controversial ShotSpotter technology in an effort to reduce gun violence citywide.
The department said the decision was made possible through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Administration (BJA).
RELATED: Seattle residents debate effectiveness of gunshot detection technology
Tacoma Police say ShotSpotter is a “state-of-the-art” technology designed to enhance their ability to investigate violent crimes by detecting gunshots and providing the exact location of an incident. Tacoma police said the department received funding from a BJA grant to launch a pilot program using the technology.
“Studies show that we call 911 minutes earlier than the average 911 call and hundreds of feet closer to where the shooting actually occurred,” said Sound Thinking Forensic Services. said Tom Chittum, senior vice president.
The aforementioned pilot program will allow the Tacoma Police Department to “analyze the effectiveness of the data before committing city funds to the program.” Police officials said the aim is to shorten response times and help strengthen investigations.
RELATED: Seattle greenlights controversial gunshot detection technology as gun violence rises
“BJA’s recent approval of TPD’s action plan indicates the impending release of grant funding and the department is nearing completion of the procurement process for necessary equipment,” the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) said in a press release. stated in the release. Deployment areas are guided by data analysis conducted under academic oversight, ensuring a rigorous, evidence-based approach to identifying priority locations for ShotSpotter deployment.
TPD will work with the Community Policing Division, City of Tacoma Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, Sound Thinking and stakeholders to publicize information through news releases, social media, community meetings, and distribution lists to ensure “broad understanding and engagement.” Then he said.
“In one year in Oakland, California, ShotSpotter alerted police to more than 100 gunshot victims who had not previously called 911,” Chittam continued. “The reason we allow police to respond to shootings is because we can tell them what happened, when it happened. We can’t say who it was, so we have to investigate. .”
Data from the Tacoma Police Department’s crime dashboard shows a decrease in shootings citywide in 2023 compared to 2022 (January 1 to December 31).
We analyzed calls where shots were fired but no victim was found, shots were fired but the victim was hit, and shots were fired while a vehicle was passing.
In 2023, Tacoma Police responded to a total of 2,931 calls. This number is 24% lower than in 2022, when police responded to 3,850 calls.
As of 2024, police have made 604 reports. This is a 26% decrease compared to the same period in 2023, when police responded to 818 calls.
SoundThinking, the company behind ShotSpotter, gave a brief presentation at a workshop held Wednesday at Tacoma’s Star Center.
We spoke with Police Chief Avery Moore during the event. The chief told KOMO why he believes this technology is appropriate.
“The intent is to use this device as a tool to assist from an investigative standpoint,” Moore said.
Moore also spoke out against critics who say detection isn’t working well and that alerts can send officers to areas where nothing is happening.
“The data speaks for itself. Again, this is why it’s a pilot (program). I don’t read what other people say. I’d rather read my own book if I could.” Moore said. If not, I’ll be the first to say you failed. And we move on to something else. ”
Lewers Jr., SoundThinking’s senior director of trauma response and customer success, also attended the Tacoma event to address privacy concerns and criticism of the service.
“We are present in over 170 cities and have a 99% retention rate,” Lewers Jr. says.
“I would say 90% accuracy when a shooting occurs within communication range is much better than the less than 20% that police know when people call in,” he said.
Whitney Wilkins also attended the event. She works for Sage Investment Group. The company opened new apartment buildings to replace aging buildings to make South Hosmer Street safer.
She thinks ShotSpotter could work.
“I think technology can only help in this effort, especially if we can respond to things more quickly and assist law enforcement,” Wilkins said.
push in seattle
A similar push for this technology occurred in Seattle.
In November 2023, Seattle lawmakers approved $1.5 million in the 2024 budget to test acoustic gunshot detection systems such as ShotSpotter or similar technology.
Speaking to a dozen or so residents in Seattle’s Central District in February, company representative Alfred Lewers Jr. argued that ShotSpotter is a program worth using.
Critics of systems like ShotSpotter argue that the devices generate a lot of false alarms and often result in police being dispatched to calls that ultimately turn out to be unimportant. As a result, nine cities, including Chicago, Portland, and San Antonio, have terminated their contracts or decided not to move forward with their partnership with ShotSpotter.
“This technology just doesn’t work. In fact, studies have shown that it reduces police response times by repeatedly dispatching officers to false alarms and denying them opportunities to work elsewhere.” ,” said former Seattle City Council member Lisa Herbold.
Lewers Jr. said some cities that initially canceled ShotSpotter contracts eventually reinstated the technology.
“You’ve never heard of Pompano Beach, Florida owning ShotSpotter and getting rid of him, and now they’re getting ready to renew his three-year contract,” Lewers said. Mr. Junior said.
As part of the pilot program, officials plan to complete the required racial equity analysis in the first quarter of 2024 in order to begin the pilot program by the summer. Seattle City Council members still must vote to approve a final contract to purchase and install the equipment.
The Tacoma Police Chief said he is still considering where to place the sensors in Tacoma. A start date for the pilot program has not been determined, but the funding will last for one year.
Lewers Jr. told KOMO that SoundThinking plans to hold more community meetings in Tacoma to discuss the service.
