As of 3 p.m. Friday, May 5, 2023, the gunfire detection system, ShotSpotter, has gone live in the Wedgewood neighborhood, Columbus, Ohio.  

As gunfire is detected by acoustic sensors, a notification is sent directly to neighborhood patrol officers which pinpoints the specific location in which the gunfire originated.

According to the Brookings Institution, more than 80% of gunfire incidents go unreported to 911. ShotSpotter helps fill that data gap by alerting police of virtually all gunfire in a city’s ShotSpotter coverage area within 60 seconds – enabling a fast, precise police response, ultimately helping police officers save lives and collect critical evidence for investigations.

ShotSpotter allows officers to respond to gunfire before 911 is called, and even without any 911 calls. This has enabled officers to locate victims and render aid more quickly, and ultimately helps police make more arrests to get violent offenders off the streets.

In 2022, the Columbus Division of Police recovered shell casings in 1,054 separate ShotSpotter alerts. Officers made 45 arrests for weapons offenses, 29 arrests for other offenses, and seized 45 firearms based on those alerts.

To include the Wedgewood neighborhood, the existing Hilltop coverage area was expanded by .64 square miles. In total, 12.64 square miles of Columbus is now equipped with this technology in the Hilltop, Linden, South Side and Near East Side neighborhoods.

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