Shotspotter Technology - American Police Officers Alliance

Shotspotter Technology: Helping Police Respond to Shootings

Shotspotter technology is one of the latest technologies that is helping police officers respond to shootings quicker. This technology helps police officers track gunfire and helps them respond quickly to shootings. This technology is a great addition to the arsenal of police tech, but like all technology it does come with possible flaws. 

Shotspotter Technology - American Police Officers Alliance

As major cities grow in size, police departments will grow with them. But sometimes the cities will grow at a much faster rate than the police department. This is where the technology of shotspotter can help police respond to shootings much faster than people are able to call it in.  The way it works is similar to sonar. Shotspotter sensors are placed on buildings and structures throughout the city. When a shot is fired from a weapon, these sensors detect the particular sound of the round, and can help to triangulate the general area the shot originated from.   

This technology has helped some major cities. In New York, for example, this technology has helped police respond to more reports of shots fired and removed more guns out of the hands of people who should not have them. By getting the guns out of the hands who should not have them, it will help reduce gun violence. 

This technology is not perfect and not available in all cities. This technology will help police respond to shooting events that are not reported. The training for the people who listen to the sound to determine whether they are gunshots or not needs to have high standards.  The higher the standards, the better the analysis. This technology needs more funding so it can be implemented in as many cities as possible and the end result will help police with crime and gun violence.

While virtual reality has been around for quite some time, law enforcement agencies are just now diving into this innovative technology. For years, virtual reality has been used for gaming simulations across multiple platforms, but as the need for police technology increases more companies are exploring what virtual reality can do for law enforcement agencies. Read more here.

American Police Officers Alliance