ShotSpotter deemed a success in fighting crime

In its first month of operation by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), the new ShotSpotter gunfire detection system has helped police make several arrests, recover guns and respond quickly to shots-fired calls.
ShotSpotter, which is now “live” in about two square miles of South Minneapolis, detects gunshots by using multiple sensors, determines the position of the gunshot with great accuracy, and immediately alerts 9-1-1 operators, who can quickly dispatch police.

In the one month since the system came on line, in December 2006, ShotSpotter has triggered dispatches to 69 suspected gunshot locations. Most dispatches are made in less than one minute after the shot is detected. Those alerts have helped lead to:
•three felony arrests
•three misdemeanor arrests
•two recovered guns
•a recovered stolen car,
•info used in homocide, robbery and shooting investigations.
ShotSpotter is just one of the new technologies used by the City to make neighborhoods safer. The City’s budget provides for $2 million in public safety technology funding over the next two years. New security cameras along Bloomington Avenue and in Cedar-Riverside are in place to help deter crime as well.

In addition to providing 9-1-1 dispatchers and police with better tools to respond to gunshots, it is expected the technology will eventually deter would-be criminals from committing gun violence.
A partnership between the City and community groups has been critical to making ShotSpotter a reality. Central Weed and Seed and Phillips Weed and Seed were instru