INDIANAPOLIS–IMPD’s gunshot detection system pilot program is still being reviewed, but the officers feel like it is progressing. They will count on IUPUI to study the results of the pilot.
Those results will then determine if there will be more funding added to the program.
“Since Monday October 10, IMPD officers have been actively responding to gunshot detection system notifications within four patrol beats in each district. If and when a gunshot is detected by the censors, the officer will receive an alert on their laptop. During this pilot, the alerts go straight to the officer’s laptop and not through the 911 dispatch center,” said IMPD Commander Matthew Thomas.
The next nine weeks will be broken down into three phases. Each phase is three weeks long for each vendor. The first three weeks, Phase III, will be dedicated to the Flock detection vendor. Week four through six, Phase IV, will be dedicated to the ShotSpotter notification and the last three weeks, Phase V, will be focused on J&M Security notifications.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett believes the pilot program is promising.
“In the short time they’ve been in use, these upgrades have led to positive identifications, cleared cases, and accompanied a reduced level of violence,” said Hogsett Wednesday morning.
That speaks to what IMPD leaders will be looking at improving.
“We will evaluate these devices to see if they improve officer response time to shots fired incidents, if they alert IMPD to unreported shots fired incidents, and if they assist with evidence collection (i.e., discarded firearms, damage to buildings or vehicles, shell casings, and witness statements) on shots fired incidents. Gunshot detection systems do not replace the need for residents to report all shooting incidents by calling 911. This technology enhances IMPD’s ability to use the information provided by our community to narrow the focus of uniform response and investigative follow-up,” said Thomas.
They have been using “a layered approach” in the deployment of gunshot detection systems.
“Public safety cameras, B-link cameras, camera trailers, license plate readers, body-worn cameras and gunshot detection technology are all intended to complement each other and enhance community collaboration. By using this multi-faceted approach, IMPD can recover multiple pieces of evidence to help generate leads, solve cases, and hold violent offenders accountable for their actions in our community,” said Hogsett.
Hogsett has already announced a comprehensive violence reduction plan last year, which is powered by $150 million in American Rescue Plan money that was unanimously approved by the Indianapolis City-County Council.
