ShotSpotter technology uses a series of small audio sensors positioned high up on top of light posts and buildings. When a gun is fired, the sensors triangulate on the sound and pinpoint the number of shots fired and their location.
In a presentation to city aldermen this week, Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said his department is looking to be the first in New Hampshire to deploy the system, as another tool to combat gun violence.
"Many shootings are never reported to the police," Aldenberg said. "We get calls from people reporting them the next morning, or days later, or sometimes when the shooting victim shows up at a local hospital and we were never even notified of the shooting. When we do get calls it's not precise...this delays our response and locating evidence. Shootings this year continue to occur at alarming rates."
Aldenberg said his department has been working with the office of U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) to secure a $300,000 federal grant to cover the cost of the technology for a two-year trial period across an as-yet-to-be-determined three-square-mile section of Manchester.
How it works
ShotSpotter uses an array of acoustic sensors that are connected wirelessly to ShotSpotter's centralized cloud-based application to detect and locate gunshots using triangulation.
Each acoustic sensor captures the time and audio associated with sounds that may represent gunfire. The data is used to locate the incident and is then filtered by machine algorithms to classify the event as a potential gunshot.
Acoustic experts in ShotSpotter's Incident Review Center then confirm the incident is indeed gunfire before contacting local police, a process the company claims takes less than 60 seconds from the time of the shooting.
ShotSpotter spokesperson and former New Bedford, Mass., Police Chief Ron Teachman said only about 20% of shootings get reported to police, leading some to believe local cops aren't doing anything to address the violence.
"If they think the police know but the police didn't show, what might they think about their police department?" asked Aldenberg. "That they don't care, deliberate indifference, and they may personalize this based on race, or class, immigration status or whatever their status is. They think someone else is going to call, or they're afraid of retaliation, or perhaps the most insidious problem is they've given up."
Whether it works
ShotSpotter has received some negative media coverage in recent months. The national police reform group Campaign Zero launched a "Cancel ShotSpotter" campaign recently amid what it claims is growing evidence the technology is largely ineffective and could potentially make police interactions with the public during calls worse.
Last summer, Chicago's Inspector General released a report claiming the city's " ShotSpotter alerts rarely produce documented evidence of a gun-related crime, investigatory stop, or recovery of a firearm."
Despite the report's findings, Chicago officials renewed the ShotSpotter contract through August 2023.
Alderman Bill Barry asked, given that police often say local shootings aren't considered random acts, if ShotSpotter technology would be placed near residences of known gang members.
"They'll be set up where the data tells us, where the shootings are happening," Aldenberg said. "It has to be evidence-based and data driven, where we will put this technology, but yes there is a section of the population in this city that is driving a majority of the gun violence."
Aldenberg said the ShotSpotter devices likely would initially be placed downtown and in parts of the West Side.
Aldenberg said his department has yet to receive the $300,000 grant. Once it does, the funds will go through the normal Community Improvement Program approval process.
ShotSpotter staff will then begin approaching business and residential property owners about placing listening technology — which resemble a child's lunch box on a tripod, secured to a chimney or rooftop — on their homes or businesses.
"Once our company gets the green light, it's usually about 4-6 weeks per square mile (to set up), so a couple of months at least," said Jack Pontius, Northeast Regional Director for ShotSpotter. "We're hoping we'll be up for the majority of the summer, that's our goal, so that we're operational in Manchester when things are hot in the summertime."
No action was taken by the board related to the ShotSpotter technology. Manchester police now await receipt of the grant money before taking any next steps.
Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur asked if ShotSpotter can differentiate between the sound of gunshots and another summer staple in the Queen City, fireworks.
"Not only do we detect and locate this bang, boom or pop, but through a series of steps starting with machine classification algorithms and, more importantly, human review, we discern gunfire from all those other noises, including fireworks," said Teachman. "We're not going to be dispatching police for things other than gunfire."
"You probably should start a company called 'Fireworks Spotters,'" joked Levasseur. "That's a huge complaint in the city of Manchester."
© 2022 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
