Techdirt. – Another City Ditches ShotSpotter, Says It Can’t Show The System Helped Reduce Violent Crime

ShotSpotter has routinely claimed its system of mics and location info is crucial to reducing gun crime. The theory is that if you can hear it, you can respond to it, even if officers can’t physically hear these gunshots themselves.
The problem with this assertion is that there’s a margin of error. The system can’t be perfect, so it’s always going to generate false positives and negatives. The tech is backstopped by human analysts, but records show these analysts don’t receive any specified training, aren’t actually acoustic experts, and, if needed, will alter reports at the request of law enforcement.
Then there’s the real world application of this tech. It’s relatively inexpensive as far as law enforcement tech…

External feed Read More at the Source: https://www.techdirt.com/2023/07/19/another-city-ditches-shotspotter-says-it-cant-show-the-system-helped-reduce-violent-crime/