Since 2007, Boston police have been using ShotSpotter technology to quickly detect and respond to shootings throughout the city. The technology, created by SoundThinking, involves strategically placed acoustic sensors that can pick up the sound of gunshots.
However, with Boston’s ShotSpotter contract set to expire in June, the ACLU of Massachusetts has released a report questioning the reliability of the technology. According to their analysis of over 1,300 Boston police reports, nearly 70% of ShotSpotter alerts did not lead to any evidence of shots being fired.
Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Tom Chittum, SoundThinking’s senior vice president of Analytics and Forensic Services, are set to discuss the role and impacts of ShotSpotter in Boston. Their conversation is sure to shed light on this controversial issue.
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