TACOMA, Wash. — The first of two community meetings about the Tacoma Police Department's upcoming pilot with ShotSpotter, a controversial gunshot detection technology, was held Wednesday evening.
ShotSpotter, which is a technology developed by SoundThinking, a self-described "public safety technology company," uses acoustic sensors that can detect the sound of gunshots and help police identify a more precise location of where they originated from. An informational page on the City of Tacoma's website said the technology will help police respond to a higher percentage of gunfire incidents, improve response times to crime scenes, and help police find "key evidence to identify and investigate suspects."
The city said ShotSpotter is used in 150 other places around the country.
At the Wednesday meeting, Alfred Lewers Jr., a company spokesperson, made the case for it.
"Our promise to the city of Tacoma.. we will give you 90% percent of the audible outdoor, non-suppressed gun figure, in the coverage area, above a 25 caliber., within 60 seconds or less within a 25-meter halo," Lewers Jr. said.
Most of the crowd supported the technology. Some told stories of how gun violence has impacted their lives.
"My son got shot 22 times in under 10 seconds. And I feel there was a delay in police response. I'm for this program to work for the city," one attendee said.
Communications professor Marnie Ritchie, who studied ShotSpotter research, expressed concerns.
"There are so many cities that have tested and tried it and have said that it extends police resources," Ritchie said.
To the north, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has lobbied for the technology as recently as last year, though funding for a pilot was ultimately left out of the city's public safety budget. The Seattle City Council voted against spending over $1 million on a ShotSpotter pilot, saying it can "hurt police response times, result in more racial bias, and violate people’s civil liberties."
During public feedback sessions, people consistently voiced concerns about the technology's accuracy, and how it may lead to further over-policing of predominantly Black and brown communities.
SoundThinking counters that their technology gives police a more precise starting point to investigate gunshots, meaning they don't have to canvass entire blocks or neighborhoods when responding to shots-fired calls.
TPD has entered into a three-year pilot agreement with the company, with data on the technology's use to be reviewed periodically by the Tacoma City Council. Acoustic sensors will be placed in a two-square-mile area in Tacoma's Hosmer neighborhood, which was identified through data collected during the implementation of Police Chief Avery Moore's Violent Crime Reduction Plan.
After the three-year pilot, Dr. Jessica Huff of the University of Cincinnati will provide an academic overview and evaluation of the successes and failures of the ShotSpotter technology.