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Oakland cops aim to scrap gunfire-detecting ShotSpotter (SFGate)
Oakland police are considering scrapping the city's gunshot detection system that some residents in high-crime neighborhoods say makes them feel more secure.
ShotSpotter is an 8-year-old network of microphones that detect gunfire in most parts of East and West Oakland, record the audio, map the location and send an alert to patrol officers within 20 seconds.
But the system, which costs the department $264,000 a year, is expensive and redundant, police contend. They say residents already call to alert police when they hear gunfire, and the money could be better used to fund other technology, such as the police helicopter.
"Although ShotSpotter is very valuable ... a lot of times it is followed with phone calls from our community, so we're not missing out on a whole lot," said Officer Frank Bonifacio, a police spokesman.
ShotSpotter is an 8-year-old network of microphones that detect gunfire in most parts of East and West Oakland, record the audio, map the location and send an alert to patrol officers within 20 seconds.
But the system, which costs the department $264,000 a year, is expensive and redundant, police contend. They say residents already call to alert police when they hear gunfire, and the money could be better used to fund other technology, such as the police helicopter.
"Although ShotSpotter is very valuable ... a lot of times it is followed with phone calls from our community, so we're not missing out on a whole lot," said Officer Frank Bonifacio, a police spokesman.
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Oakland-cops-aim-to-scrap-gunfire-detecting-5316060.php
Not sure I'm totally convinced by the police argument - as the article points out, residents last month only reported ~75% of the gunshots the system detected. And while it may be expensive and there can be privacy concerns, there's a lot to be said for an objective (and less easily ignored) method of getting reports of possible violence...
