TACOMA, Wash. — For the first time – gunshot detection technology, known as ‘ShotSpotter,’ will be coming to Washington.
It’ll be implemented in Tacoma’s Hosmer area later this year.
This week, the Tacoma Police Department hosted an informational meeting where the community had the chance to learn more about the new technology.
The community seemed to have mixed feelings about it, with a lot of back and forth – like concerns about privacy, transparency, and over-policing in certain areas. Those who are for the new tech say that it’ll speed up police response times and track down suspects when shots are fired.
Deputy Chief Paul Junger with the Tacoma Police Department was at the meeting, saying, “We have to do something to address the gun violence in this city. This is one of the ways that we can do it without extra people.”
Deputy Chief Junger says it’ll help officers get to the scene and track nearby witnesses and evidence. It will also help officers get to victims sooner – especially if the crime wasn’t called in.
“If we can reduce our response time, and get either EMS or police or both to a crime scene quicker, we win,” said Deputy Chief Junger.
But not all were on board with this new technology heading to their hometown, with concerns about privacy and effectiveness.
Alton McDonald has lived in the city for more than 30 years and believes the focus should be preventing crimes, rather than responding to them.
“Invest more money in community. We have to get to the root cause of why someone would want to use a gun to address issues such as a disagreement, because it’s the last resort to use a gun,” said McDonald.
Others, however, are open to seeing what ShotSpotter can do in the city.
Tacoma city resident Fredrick E. Powell says “I really think that we have a chance to pinpoint the accuracy, and that’s what you’re looking for, a quick response time for our officers and we want to make sure that people are safe, or where we can save a life on scene.”
ShotSpotter will cover two square miles in Tacoma’s Hosmer neighborhood later this fall, and the Tacoma Police Department says they will test the technology out for the next three years.
©2024 Cox Media Group
