ShotSpotter is a technology only used by law enforcement in three cities in Ohio — Canton, Cincinnati, and Youngstown. Now, city councilman Kevin Conwell is working to get it to Cleveland.
The technology uses acoustic sensors to pinpoint the exact location of gunfire — the goal is for quicker police response times and more accurate locations. More than 85 cities in the nation currently use it.
By alerting police and dispatch as soon as shots are heard, law enforcement doesn’t have to wait for people to call 911 and report “shots fired.” Approximately 20 sensors are placed within one square mile.
“It would not cover the whole city, but it would cover the high-crime areas,” Conwell said. “And that’s what you need to do. Anything we can do to protect the citizens of the city of Cleveland, we need to do that. It’s a need.”
Conwell said he would initially suggest areas like East 131st Street off of Union Avenue and East 105th Street and St. Clair Avenue. The sensors are moveable.
ShotSpotter comes with a hefty price tag — an estimated $500,000 to cover those specific areas in Cleveland.
“Half a million dollars, it’s very, very expensive, but you know what? The price of life. You can’t put a price on life. You can’t do that,” Conwell said. “So we need to take a look at that and do everything we can do to make life better and safer for the citizens in the city of Cleveland.”
Conwell just met with representatives from ShotSpotter and is working with a group to put together a cost-analysis.
He plans to present legislation proposing the purchase to Cleveland City Council by May.
In Cincinnati, police credit ShotSpotter for playing a huge role in reducing the number of shootings by 50 percent so far in 2018.
"Prior to the implementation, we were only responding to 15 percent of the gun incidents,” said Cincinnati Police Lt. Col. Paul Neudigate. "We're responding to 100 percent of them now. That's got to tell the community how invested the police department is in their community."
Canton Police have been using the technology since 2013, telling News 5 it has helped solve numerous crimes. The Canton's system cost roughly $150,000.
