City considers sensors that pinpoint gunfire

Thursday, January 3, 2008

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV

DALLAS - With residents in some neighborhoods demanding an end to frequent gunfire, Dallas may join a growing list of cities using technology to pinpoint who's pulling the trigger.

While police department that use the audio sensors say they work, they are also costly.

Waiting for the train at the Lancaster-Kiest station, Curtis Reynolds said he is among those tired of hearing random gun shots.

"Just last night, my mother, she called the police because they was shooting at our apartments ... and somebody almost got shot," he said. "And it likely could've been me."

While Dallas police obviously can't put an officer on every corner to detect when someone fires a gun, there is technology that can. The system is called Shotspotter.

The system works by placing sensors, which use acoustical triangulation pinpoints to locate gunfire within a few feet, on buildings. The alerts go directly to police, who know exactly where to send officers and with how much firepower.

Twenty-six cities, including Minneapolis and Boston, that use Shotspotter have reported a reduction in gunfire.

"It's been working very, very well, beyond our expectations actually," said Commissioner Ed Davis, Boston Police Department.

Dallas police say Shotspotter is worth a look, but at a cost of about $200,000 per square mile of coverage, the system can be expensive.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway said he wants the technology in his southern Dallas district, even if he must find non-city funds.

"With the rise of this and the level of this concern, it is now something as the chief has just said, we will begin to at least review and look at," he said.

The city council will study buying Shotspotter in the next four to five months.

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