The city placed 175 gunshot detectors around Anderson since November 2023, with plans to install more in 2025.
Chief Mike Lee said the technology is part of the Flock safety law enforcement system, which also includes license plate readers in Anderson and in several other locations in Madison County.
Lee explained the gunshot detectors help officers find the location of gunfire.
"Officers get an alert to the spot where a gunshot has been detected," he said. "There are enough sensors available to give an exact address to dispatch officers."
Lee said the system is designed to discern the difference between the sound of fireworks and that of gunfire.
"We have the detectors in the most densely populated areas of the city," the chief said. "There are times when we have officers en route (to the location of gunfire) before there is an emergency call made."
Lee said the gunfire detection system has helped the police department investigate potential criminal activity and make arrests.
"The officers are more aware of a situation" when responding to an area where gunshots have been heard, he explained. "They have a warning, and this is a great investigative tool."
Lee said the gunfire detection system has several search options, including the ability to read license plates of any nearby vehicles with occupants who might have been involved in gunfire.
Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. was concerned about gun-related crime and asked the police department to research gunshot detectors, Lee said.
"We were trying to find a better way to address the gun violence," the chief noted. "It has had a significant impact."
He said other a few other agencies in Indiana use the technology and Indianapolis has tested several different systems to detect gunfire.
The system alerted Anderson police to gunfire Tuesday morning in the 2400 block of Pearl Street.
"We can listen to the audio," Lee said. "We can go back after a few weeks and correlate what happened."
Andrew Hanna, chief deputy with the Madison County Prosecutor's Office, said the detection devices can benefit local investigations.
"It speeds up the response time," Hanna said. "This makes it more likely to have a suspect. It helps police identify the shooter and potential witnesses."
Hanna said the process has helped in several cases.
"If the system identifies a shooter in one instance, it's worth the investment," he said.
Madison County Sheriff John Beeman said his deputies are not notified of gunfire detected by the Anderson system, which uses different software.
"It would make sense to have everyone (all local police departments) receive the information," Beeman said. "The shots fired notification could be at a location where we already have a deputy in the area."
Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.
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©2024 The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
