Gun shot tracking technology now in parts of Omaha

[DanClrk51]

New Technology Will Help Pinpoint Shots Fired
Gun violence is a constant concern in the City of Omaha and continues to be a priority for Omaha police. But there's a new crime fighting tool that's being tested to help make tracking and responding to gun crimes much easier.

Wednesday morning WOWT’s Fact Finders received a call from a viewer. She said police knocked on her door and asked her to stay inside while they conducted a test. A few moments later she heard gun shots.

Gunfire is regularly heard in some Omaha neighborhoods.

“I've heard the gunshot sounds coming from very close to the neighborhood around here,” said Ryon Delozer.

She lives off Fontenelle Boulevard and says crime is a problem that can’t be fixed overnight. But when word spread that police were testing gunshot tracking technology in her area, she was relieved.

Wednesday, police announced they tested a ShotSpotter Gunfire Alert System.

“They did do a live fire test to calibrate the system. Because the system does detect fired gun shots, an actual firearm had to be used to test the system,” said Omaha Police Officer Michael Pecha

The ShotSpotter will not only tell you when shots are fired but where. Sensors are placed at several locations and when a shot goes off the sensors work together to help police pinpoint the location.

“Up to this point a lot of times when we get a call of shots fired, officers have to rely on that person's account of the gunfire,” said Pecha.

Police won't say where the sensors are installed but say they are not going up throughout the city. Neighbors like the idea and police say it will help combat gun violence.

“It allow us to proactively patrol those areas and maybe be in the area before it happens,” said Pecha.

Grant money from the United States Department of Justice paid for the project. At this point it’s too expensive to put throughout the city.http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/132669668.html?storySection=story

Gunfire To Be Tracked With New Tool
Technology Will Help Omaha Police Fight Gun Violence
OMAHA, Neb. -- A new gunfire detection and alert system installed in Omaha will let police know exactly where a round was fired.

The Omaha Police Department said the technology, called ShotSpotter, will be a key component of its intelligence-led, community policing strategy.

"Eliminating illegal gun use and violence in our communities is crucial to the quality of life for our residents," said Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes.

Whenever a gun goes off, the sensors and software in ShotSpotter will be able to immediately triangulate the location of each round fired. The system is expected to be activated this week.

On Wednesday, Omaha police and representatives with ShotSpotter tested the system with a real firearm to calibrate the locator device. Authorities said residents were notified of the tests and safe practices were followed.

According to the company's website, the information allows for not only a faster police response, but also forensic analysis and evidence in court. Because of this, Omaha police believe ShotSpotter will lead to increased prosecutions for gun-related crimes throughout the city.

The city purchased the technology using funds from a United States Department of Justice grant.

Police said they will not give the specific locations of where the ShotSpotter technology has been installed.
http://www.ketv.com/news/29594150/detail.html

New Technology to Help Omaha Police Combat Gun Violence
OMAHA, NE--Omaha police began testing Wednesday morning on a new piece of equipment they hope will combat gun violence around the city.

The ShotSpotter Gunfire Alert system is designed to help police immediately locate a specific area where a gun has been shot. Police say the system would allow a quicker response time in an emergency and increase first responder safety.

The police department has been installing the system throughout Omaha over the past several months.

Police also expect the system to allow them to collect additional and more precise forensic information while investigating cases than they have been able to in the past. It's hoped this will lead to more prosecutions in gun-related crimes.

Wednesday morning, officers fired their guns in neighborhoods where the system is being installed. The system requires live gunfire in order to calibrate. Residents were notified of the test firings prior to their start. The Omaha Police Department refuses to say where the ShotSpotter has been installed.

The system was purchased with a grant from the Department of Justice.
http://www.kptm.com/story/15885006/new-technology-to-help-police-combat-gun-violence?redirected=true

Device will track gunshots
The Omaha Police Department will soon be able to tell where gunshots are fired as they go off.

The department has installed a “ShotSpotter Gunfire Alert and Analysis'' system, or sensors that detect gunfire and report the location to police.

ShotSpotter Flex, the company that installs the systems, says ShotSpotter can provide more accurate information than 911, help police solve homicides more quickly and allows for quicker response.

The Omaha system, funded by a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, will become operational next month, said Police Chief Alex Hayes.
Police wouldn't say where the sensors will be, citing safety concerns. But Lt. Darci Tierney, a police spokeswoman, said they won't be placed throughout the city.
Police say the system will provide more evidence of gun-related crimes, possibly leading to increased arrests and prosecutions.

The company was founded in 1995 in Redwood City, Calif. Two years later, once-prevalent New Year's Eve shots-fired incidents in Redwood City were virtually erased, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2000.

The ShotSpotter website says it has systems in more than 80 cities, including Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Baton Rouge, La. Its clients also include the Justice Department.

It says that only loud explosions will trigger the sensors, which are placed up high.

A report from the company said the No. 1 complaint is false positives, which come from loud noises such as Dumpster trucks, helicopters, fireworks, construction, vehicles, trash haulers and church bells.The Omaha system was tested under controlled circumstances Wednesday morning with live gunfire.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20111026/NEWS97/710269782#device-will-track-gunshots

[RLMoeller]

There was some discussion on this topic last evening on KFAB.  It was funny when one caller said he thought it was a waste of money and the response was that it was "paid for with grant money".

[DanClrk51]

Well it will remain to be seen if this technology actually helps prevent or solve crimes. Also with all the false positives will police just begin to ignore the sensor alarms? This techology will only be worth our money (it is our federal tax dollars) if it actually helps solve most shootings. If it does that it will also help prevent shootings by putting a chill effect on them. But just like video cameras this technology cannot physically prevent a shooting. I don't think we will see much more results than what surveillance cameras have given us. The shootings will most likely continue. The best solution will always only be in the power of the first responder. And that would be the victims or would be victims if they choose the correct tools that empower them to successfully resist an attack. Guns obviously aren't a 100% protection but they are the best available. If we had personal energy deflector shields like in Star Trek or Star Wars I'd be wearing one. 

[NE Bull]

I'd like to be in a cruiser in North O on most any given night, once this goes live.  From what I been told by  an officer working at MCC at the old Fort Omaha, I'd be willing to bet that thing goes off almost constantly.
Like Dan said, if it helps with the shootings and takes the heat off the law abiding citizen, then I'm all for it. But....We'll see if Omaha and OPD followed the instructions, Lord knows the have a problem with that.

[DaveB]

Probably a 36 hour response time too. Car backfiring are going to be called shootings in the paper also.

[bullit]

"Police won't say where the sensors are installed but say they are not going up throughout the city"

Now isn't this profiling?  The Cobra may have somethin' to say 'bout this.....

[Kennon]

If they also deploy license plate reading software and cameras, this system can provide a very short list of suspects. If they also add a cell phone localization tracker, now you can identify every phone in the vehicle too. It would not take too long to build an electronic profile and get a warrant with the suspects picture on it. A computer program could correlate this data in seconds.

[AAllen]

I did a little research on this technology a couple of years ago, the last time Fayhe added more camera's to the City.  Though the Tech is not perfect, there are a few (from the early reports I read very few) miss reports where sounds that were not gunfire were reported, it saves a lot of time.  There were at that time cases in Chicago and Philadelphia where due to the speed that they get the report and how closely it places the shots (multiple sensors pick up the shot, by volume estimates distance and from triangulating the sound they can identify where, normally within a few feet) they have been able to get emergency personnel to the scene of a shooting to save lives that via slower response times it is estimated would have died.

There are area's of Omaha where gunshots can be heard regularly the problem, like most hunters understand, the echo effect etc. keeps the police that hear the shots from really getting real close to where they took place, so they have to wait for the 911 call.

Will this stop a shooting, most likely not.  But will it allow officers to arrive at the scene faster and possibly get lifesaving assistance for someone faster, yes.   Thats just an opinion from someone that lives in the area.

[FarmerRick]

Hmmmm....  I wonder how well the sensors work with bullet holes in them. 
I'm sure once the gang bangers find out what the sensors look like, they will be used for target practice.

[Hermit]

Even if the gangbangers find the sensors, they can't shoot accurately anyway, so I'd wager they're safe .  I live on the edge of north O, and I hear shots off in the distance if I'm out much at night, so I welcome our new electronic overlords.

[DaveB]

When I lived on 26th and Leavenworth, I could tell where the shots were fired from just from the flash in the windows.

[sjwsti]

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of OPD Officers about this the other day. They say that it is working better than expected. They have been surprised at the number of shots fired incidents that go unreported but the shot tracker has been picking up. Within its first week of service they credit it with getting an illegal gun off of the street and it has had a direct impact on reducing response times.

- Shawn

[AAllen]

Shawn thanks for the update, that is some good news.  Now if we could just get OPD to realize that not all guns are illegal guns....

[DanClrk51]

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of OPD Officers about this the other day. They say that it is working better than expected. They have been surprised at the number of shots fired incidents that go unreported but the shot tracker has been picking up. Within its first week of service they credit it with getting an illegal gun off of the street and it has had a direct impact on reducing response times.

- Shawn

Sounds promising. I wonder though if it would detect gun shots fired within homes though? Probably not huh?

[Wesley D]

Shawn thanks for the update, that is some good news.  Now if we could just get OPD to realize that not all guns are illegal guns....

What exactly are these "illegal guns" of which you speak? Ones not registered with OPD? Wouldn't those technically be "undocumented guns"?

[DaveB]

What exactly are these "illegal guns" of which you speak? Ones not registered with OPD? Wouldn't those technically be "undocumented guns"?

That is their way of justifying the spending of the peoples money that they don't yet have. Now they can feel so much safer so they will be more than happy to give the anti gun police farce more useless toys to play with. In order to continue with slow response times, the police will get to finish their doughnut before heading to a safe crime scene because they will know about where the shots came from.

[sjwsti]

You want to bash the Police Dept I'm sure there is an appropriate forum to do so.

As far as the details of what the Illegal gun was about I don't have them. Believe it or not there are a large number of stolen, defaced, straw purchased guns in the hands of criminals in Omaha.

I have lived in or near Omaha my entire life, owned weapons as soon as I could. And I have never once had a single issue with OPD. I have worked more than a decade at a local range and the number of people I have spoken to personally who have I can count on a couple of fingers.

I don't speak for the OPD admin but I can tell you that the Officers with whom I work with and those that are personal friends have no issues whatsoever with privately owned guns or CCW. What they do have a problem with are criminals. If you have a problem with any certain law that they have to enforce work to change it.

You don't like long response times, advise your city council person to support hiring more Officers instead of complaining anonymously on the internet. You are certainly free to take the test and give it a try if you think you could do it better.

My post was simply to give credit to the Shot Tracker system for doing exactly what it was designed to do. I wont engage any more posts that offer nothing constructive.
 
- Shawn

[Ronvandyn]

I have to go with Wes and Shawn on this one.  Anything that get the cops there in time to catch one criminal, medical there in time to save one life, or saves the life of one officer by warning him that there are folks shooting in the area, is worth the price.  Everything else is gravy, pure and simple. 

They are putting the devices in the area of town where most of the shooting occurs as far as I can tell, and it has nothing to do with if the shooter is white, black, or green with purple polka dots.  I have never been able to tell what the race of a shooter is by the sound of the shot.  Somehow I doubt these new devices can either.

Ron

[Randy]

Thanks for the update Shawn.