4 ms·

It’s useful as a signal to dispatch a unit.

s1artibartfast 3y ago
Maybe I'm cynical, but what would be the point if The criminals are long gone? I live near a lot of urban gunfire and I can't imagine what they would do unless there is a dead body.
- theultdev 3y ago
  What if the criminals aren't long gone and the gunfire persisted long enough to kill more innocent bystanders? What if the arrival of the police or the sound of sirens dispelled the gunfire early enough to save those bystanders? What if that body they find isn't quite dead, but bleeding out and they are able to save them?
  - omginternets 3y ago
    Right? I’m at a loss as to how someone could think an unhurried response to gunfire is appropriate.
    - theultdev 3y ago
      Topics about law enforcement get very irrational here. To the point where suggesting officers should respond incase someone is bleeding out get downvoted. I guess the compassionate thing is to wait for the body on Monday because "what's the point"
- omginternets 3y ago
  I can think of several things: 1. Administer first aid 2. Gather witnesses 3. Preserve evidence 4. Coordinate with other units to grid-search for suspicious persons or vehicles 5. In some cases, gather evidence/testimony that enables immediate pursuit You know… police work.
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    I was speaking more in a practical sense, and I think you are responding more in ideal sense. I agree some of those things would be nice. However, at some point there are too many shots to even show up for, let alone do the more involved tasks you mention, and I think this is the situations some cities using the service found themselves in. At that point, it just becomes a data collection project, with unclear goals. For what it is worth, I think we have ShotSpotter in my location, but have never seen police physically responding to shots fired. That is not to say it isn't useful in other locations
    - omginternets 3y ago
      Which of the listed items is not practical? This is all routine police business. Having the resources and political will to respond is a separate matter entirely, but that has virtually nothing to do with the importance of treating gunfire as an emergency.
      - s1artibartfast 3y ago
        I think 2-5 are pretty unlikely and/or impractical given the conflicting demands on officer time in the real world. For context, my city has a 20 minute average response time for priority #1 911 calls (violent crime in progress). Response time for priory #2 & #3 calls is around 6 hours ( non-violent crime in progress, in progress disputes, just completed felonies, and stolen cars). There are 10,000 ShotSpotter events a year. As much as I wish it weren't the case, I simply dont think looking for casings, getting statements, and or performing a search is likely to be the highest demand for police time.
        lupusreal 3y ago
        [dead]
        omginternets 3y ago
        >I think 2-5 are pretty unlikely and/or impractical given the conflicting demands on officer time in the real world. Respectfully, you don't seem to have any experience with law enforcement or military. 2-5 happen routinely. >There are 10,000 ShotSpotter events a year. And that is a separate issue of capacity vs demand. Nevertheless, a system like ShotSpotter, when paired with resources and a triage system, is a very real augmentation to law enforcement capacity. The problems with SpotShotter are completely separate from this. That's precisely why law enforcement seems to want it so badly.

Maybe I'm cynical, but what would be the point if The criminals are long gone? I live near a lot of urban gunfire and I can't imagine what they would do unless there is a dead body.

theultdev 3y ago
What if the criminals aren't long gone and the gunfire persisted long enough to kill more innocent bystanders? What if the arrival of the police or the sound of sirens dispelled the gunfire early enough to save those bystanders? What if that body they find isn't quite dead, but bleeding out and they are able to save them?
- omginternets 3y ago
  Right? I’m at a loss as to how someone could think an unhurried response to gunfire is appropriate.
  - theultdev 3y ago
    Topics about law enforcement get very irrational here. To the point where suggesting officers should respond incase someone is bleeding out get downvoted. I guess the compassionate thing is to wait for the body on Monday because "what's the point"
omginternets 3y ago
I can think of several things: 1. Administer first aid 2. Gather witnesses 3. Preserve evidence 4. Coordinate with other units to grid-search for suspicious persons or vehicles 5. In some cases, gather evidence/testimony that enables immediate pursuit You know… police work.
- s1artibartfast 3y ago
  I was speaking more in a practical sense, and I think you are responding more in ideal sense. I agree some of those things would be nice. However, at some point there are too many shots to even show up for, let alone do the more involved tasks you mention, and I think this is the situations some cities using the service found themselves in. At that point, it just becomes a data collection project, with unclear goals. For what it is worth, I think we have ShotSpotter in my location, but have never seen police physically responding to shots fired. That is not to say it isn't useful in other locations
  - omginternets 3y ago
    Which of the listed items is not practical? This is all routine police business. Having the resources and political will to respond is a separate matter entirely, but that has virtually nothing to do with the importance of treating gunfire as an emergency.
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      I think 2-5 are pretty unlikely and/or impractical given the conflicting demands on officer time in the real world. For context, my city has a 20 minute average response time for priority #1 911 calls (violent crime in progress). Response time for priory #2 & #3 calls is around 6 hours ( non-violent crime in progress, in progress disputes, just completed felonies, and stolen cars). There are 10,000 ShotSpotter events a year. As much as I wish it weren't the case, I simply dont think looking for casings, getting statements, and or performing a search is likely to be the highest demand for police time.
      - lupusreal 3y ago
        [dead]
      - omginternets 3y ago
        >I think 2-5 are pretty unlikely and/or impractical given the conflicting demands on officer time in the real world. Respectfully, you don't seem to have any experience with law enforcement or military. 2-5 happen routinely. >There are 10,000 ShotSpotter events a year. And that is a separate issue of capacity vs demand. Nevertheless, a system like ShotSpotter, when paired with resources and a triage system, is a very real augmentation to law enforcement capacity. The problems with SpotShotter are completely separate from this. That's precisely why law enforcement seems to want it so badly.