Shotspotter working overtime to combat gunshots

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – There is new Shotspotter data on the horizon.

Is it helping the Cape Police Department? Has the crime increased at the local level? Has it decreased?

“I don’t think the crime rate has gone up as far as since we’ve implemented new technology,” said Cape Public Information Officer Bobby Newton.

Newton says that approximately sixty percent of calls made for shots fired, responded to by officers, were not being reported by citizens … it’s from the new technology.

“We’re getting more reports of crimes such as the shots fired and calls responding to more of those.”

Shotspotter can detect shots fired in the area, how many shots and what kind of firearm was used.

“So, before Shotspotter we strictly had to go off of the officers hearing something or a citizen hearing something and calling it in.”

Newton says the technology can distinguish between shots fired or a firework, even a car back firing.

But nothing to date is 100% effective.

“Sometimes a citizen may call in a shot fired call, however, shot spotter may not pick it up because in reality it was a firework that was going off,” he said.

New data reportedly will be available Wednesday, March 22.