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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Cmdr. Jack Fichtel
DATE: January 24, 2022
SUBJECT:
Resolution authorizing the City of Aurora Police Department to enter a contract with ShotSpotter, Inc. for the installation and set-up of the necessary equipment for a gunshot detection system, and for a three-year service agreement.
PURPOSE:
ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection, alert, and analysis service that is used for timely notification to law enforcement. This timely notification allows for rapid response of law enforcement to firearm discharges in the coverage area, and helps officers on scene locate, more precisely, where the shots were fired from to assist possible victims and collection of valuable evidence.
BACKGROUND:
Gun violence in America's cities is a devastating epidemic. It has killed more than 65,000 individuals and injured several hundred thousand in just the last five years. What's more devastating - more than 80% of gunfire incidents are never reported to police. Even when a citizen reports a gunfire incident, the 9-1-1 call typically comes several minutes after the event has occurred, and, based on analysis, the location provided is usually mislocated by 750 feet (on average). As a result, valuable time and resources are wasted trying to locate the incident, greatly diminishing the opportunity to identify suspects and witnesses, recover evidence, and most importantly, render life-saving aid to victims.
DISCUSSION:
When gun crime isn't reported to police, the people responsible for the shootings feel emboldened to shoot whenever they want with little to no consequences, putting everyone else in the neighborhood at risk. Unaddressed gunfire drives homicides and injuries, but there are other costs to the neighborhood:
Victims don't get treated fast enough
Residents feel unsafe at home
Neighborhood jobs are lost
The cycle of gun violence continues
ShotSpotter enables an informed and precise police response that is focused on apprehending the s...
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