Gunfire pinpointing system in Rockford may be down the road

January 23rd, 2009 at 09:32am Georgette Braun

Beloit is using a new crime fighting system, ShotSpotter, which allows police to track where guns are fired from. WREX says “about 35 cities across theĀ U.S. use Shot Spotter. The company that makes it says violent crime in those areas is down at least 30 percent.”

Before I tell you about what Rockford police have to say about the system, here’s a bit more about it:

According to World Micrographics Inc., the gunfire or weapon-event is displayed instantly on an aerial map of the city at dispatch with precise location, information regarding which sensors detected it, and, if there are multiple shots, which direction the shooter is traveling, if at all. The system can tell the difference between a gunshot, a firecracker and a car backfiring, and in most cases is accurate to within 10 to 20 feet of where the shot was fired.

Michael Booker, deputy chief of the Rockford police department, told me yesterday that he’s seen a few demonstrations on the technology and it’s something the department will look at “down the road. From what I’ve seen, it looks like good technology.” Of course, it all costs money. “The challenge will be in securing funding for it,” Booker said.

Now, the police department is focusing on getting 13 cameras in place in crime-ridden areas, including the Weed and Seed areas on the west side (Avon Street, Johnston Avenue, and School and West State streets) and the east side (bounded by the Rock River, 11th Street, 18th Avenue and East State Street.) Chief Deputy Theo Glover said he expects the cameras and monitoring equipment to be in place by the end of February.

Entry Filed under: police, crime