The ShotSpotter technology gives police gunshots reports in real-time, as well as information tipping them off to an almost exact location of the shots, the kind of firearm used, and whether multiple shooters might be present.
The technology uses auditory sensors, attached strategically to buildings in high-crime areas. When a shot is fired, audio triangulation pinpoints the shot’s location. Algorithms analyze and transmit the sound to a remote incident review center, where a team of ShotSpotter staff determine the type of weapon used, the number of rounds fired, and whether multiple shooters may be at the location.
The staff then send all that information — within 60 seconds — to on-the-ground police officers through smartphone alerts or their vehicles’ mobile data terminals.
Whether the Yakima Police department gets a shot at the ShotSpotter technology hinges completely on whether the governor’s office decides to award Yakima with about $250,000 of surplus grant funding from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The city's Police Chief Matt Murray approached the Yakima City Council about the technology at a Dec. 3 meeting. Murray met with governor’s office staff who said they were interested in possibly funding equipment installation costs and the first year of annual fees for the program’s use in Yakima, a cost of $250,000. But the governor’s office wouldn’t move forward without a preliminary indication from council that Yakima would continue with the technology, at its own expense, should ShotSpotter prove useful, Murray said.
The technology would cost about $195,000 a year. It would cover a single square mile of the 29-square-mile city.
It would be worth it, Murray said.
Murray said that officers who can arrive quickly at a scene involving gunfire often are able to collect evidence that can lead to arrests and safer communities. He said that’s possible with ShotSpotter. Without the technology, Yakima’s police officers have to depend on whatever information they receive during dispatch calls about gunfire, otherwise heading into likely-dangerous situations blind, he said.
Murray said he saw the technology reduce gun crimes by as much as 46% in certain neighborhoods during his time with the Denver Police Department, which has ShotSpotter.
“The ability to have real-time gunfire intelligence and data provides law enforcement a game changing approach in reducing and preventing gun violence,” he said. “The Yakima Police Department agrees this technology is the single most effective tool available to reduce gun violence.”
It's technology that Murray said the city needs, given that Yakima remains the epicenter for gang activity in the state. Recent discussions with the Federal Bureau of Investigation have indicated Yakima’s gangs have evolved, becoming more of a threat as they’ve become more sophisticated and organized, Murray said.
The budget has been tight, with council members rejecting several proposals for public safety staff next year. They nixed a request from the fire department for a community risk reduction specialist, at a salary of $95,000 with benefits, and a day investigator, at a salary of $112,360 with benefits. They also nixed a request for an additional employee for the Code Administration Department, with an anticipated $68,000 salary with benefits.
They turned down a police request for an administrative systems analyst, with a salary of $102,000 a year with benefits. They agreed to let Murray hire four part-time, non-commissioned community response officers only if he could find a way to do it within the police department’s existing allocations.
Council members Jason White and Dulce Gutierrez asked Murray if he had thought about how the city would fund the technology past the first sponsored year. He said he hadn’t considered that, emphasizing everything was in the "very preliminary" stages and the council wouldn't have to answer that question — if at all — until planning for the 2021 budget.
“This is brand new,” Murray said. “We don’t even know if we’re going to get the money. It’s obviously a whole year away with the budget. A whole lot of things could happen between now and then."
Murray said the council would be under no obligation to continue with the technology, nor to pay back the initial $250,000 investment should the council decide not to use it. After a few additional questions, the council decided unanimously to support the police department in going after the technology.
“We hired Chief Murray from Denver for his experience,” Councilman Brad Hill said. “I am concerned about the $195,000 fee, but I think we will get to that later.”
Councilwoman Holly Cousens said she hoped the technology would help the police department with its priority of reducing violent crime.
In a follow-up interview, Murray said the microphones wouldn’t be able to be moved after installation. The governor’s office also is considering Pierce County as a possible recipient of the grant money.
Murray said he expects to know by the new year whether Yakima will be awarded the funds.
©2019 Yakima Herald-Republic (Yakima, Wash.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
