If it’s used in supplement to an actual report or as part of an investigation of a crime identified or reported in another manner, I can see some use to it.
But as an initial reason to go look into a possible shooting, I disagree with it entirely. If it were used as a means to send potential medical aid to a location, it could be also be beneficial. But sending law enforcement is the wrong response, imo. We would need to rework our first responder system though and stop sending police to every fucking thing.
cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 6 months ago
ShotSpotter is inaccurate and unreliable. The amount of reflections you get in an urban environment make it very difficult to triangulate the source of a sound. It is falsely triggered by many sounds that are not gunshots such as fireworks and vehicles backfiring. Also, ShotSpotter costs a ridiculous amount of money that could be better spent on more police training and more patrols.
owen@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
These are good point.
Municipal government really shouldn’t be signing the city up for expensive bullshit when there’s so many basics to take care of…