Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell not too long ago introduced that the Metropolis of Seattle won’t be testing a controversial gunshot detection know-how system as a part of the Crime Prevention Know-how pilot challenge. As a substitute, the challenge will concentrate on the set up of closed-circuit tv (CCTV) cameras in three neighborhoods with greater crime charges, in addition to the usage of “real-time crime middle” software program to assist with investigations. This determination was made as a result of estimated value of implementing the gunshot detection know-how exceeding the allotted finances of $1.8 million.
The gunshot detection know-how, equivalent to SoundThinking’s ShotSpotter product, makes use of acoustic sensors to establish the sound of gunshots and pinpoint their location. Whereas Mayor Harrell has expressed help for testing a software like ShotSpotter, quite a lot of different cities that beforehand tried the know-how finally deserted it on account of considerations relating to value and effectiveness. Former Seattle Metropolis Council members and educational researchers have additionally raised considerations about its invasion of privateness, with some stating that it has been confirmed ineffective at stopping crime in unbiased research.
The Crime Prevention Know-how pilot is a part of the One Seattle Security Framework and consists of an enlargement of automated license plate readers in police automobiles, in addition to extra investments in community-based measures and elevated police patrols. The town carried out in depth public outreach and neighborhood security boards to assemble enter from residents on points of their neighborhoods. The surveillance affect studies for the CCTV and real-time crime middle software program shall be shared with the Group Surveillance Working Group as required by Seattle’s surveillance ordinance to guard public privateness.
The three neighborhoods that can obtain CCTV cameras as a part of the challenge are Aurora Avenue North, the downtown Third Avenue hall, and the Chinatown-Worldwide District. These elevated crime prevention efforts purpose to deal with the hyperlink between gun violence and stolen automobiles, with a rise in verified gun violence incidents within the first 5 months of the yr. The announcement of those measures was met with help from organizations such because the Downtown Seattle Affiliation, which emphasised the significance of responding rapidly and effectively to treatment staffing shortages inside the police division.
Total, the choice to not check the gunshot detection know-how in Seattle and as a substitute concentrate on CCTV cameras and real-time crime middle software program displays a shift in direction of evidence-based options and applied sciences to deal with public security considerations. By investing in confirmed strategies of crime prevention and neighborhood security measures, the Metropolis of Seattle hopes to create safer neighborhoods and enhance responses to legal exercise. The pilot challenge is a part of a broader effort to boost public security in Seattle and supply extra choices within the metropolis’s public security toolkit.