Mediaboss Marketing

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- In the face of increased gun violence and homicides, Grand Rapids is looking to upgrade its technological support.

Police department leadership and city officials are exploring whether or not to pursue the use of drones and ShotSpotter systems to reduce response time for incidents of violence and other emergencies.

The city hasnt made any decisions regarding additional technology, but police leaders and city officials are beginning the discussions. That included an introductory conversation with the public safety committee Tuesday, Dec. 17, at City Hall.

ShotSpotter is a technology that uses about 20 acoustic sensors per square mile to detect gunfire, determine where it came from, and notify police in less than 45 seconds. The system can send data to police including a precise location on a map, number of rounds fired and type of gunfire.

ShotSpotter is used in more than 85 cities across the country and is used as a component to prevent and reduce gun violence. It allows officers to respond to shootings without waiting on someone in the community to call it in.

This isnt the first time Grand Rapids has considered acquiring ShotSpotter. In April 2015, the city considered a $1.2 million, 4-year deployment plan but put off voting on it.

Then-commissioner Dave Shaffer said he preferred using that money to hire more police officers. Ofc. Andy Bingel, president of the police officers union, called the technology a money pit and said adding officers was a higher priority.

Since then, City Manager Mark Washington and multiple city commissioners have expressed interest in reconsidering the technology. The Rev. Jerry Bishop, pastor for a church on the citys Southeast Side, has also been a vocal advocate of ShotSpotter.

We are looking at policy and we would work with the community to develop it, said Police Chief Eric Payne. Ive had discussions about this concept ... for the most part, its been positive. People have raised the concerns that I feel we could address to the satisfaction of the community and the commission.

Cities including New York, Denver, Sacramento, Fresno, San Diego and Louisville reported that a significant number of ShotSpotter alerts did not have an associated 911 call, meaning officers would likely not have known about the gunfire without the technology.

In Fresno, police response time from a ShotSpotter alert was four minutes, compared to the eight-minute response to a citizen 911 call, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer reported to ShotSpotter.

On Tuesday, Deputy Chief David Kiddle said cities that have been using ShotSpotter have seen significant reductions in gunfire.

The technology is estimated to cost about $65,000 per square mile per year.

The city manager asked that we bring it up and were looking at it, Kiddle said. We would get community feedback, which last time we failed to do sufficiently.

Most of Tuesdays technology discussion revolved around acquiring drones, which can be used for first response, tactical incidents, traffic crash investigation and crime scene investigation.

The highest priority, Kiddle said, would be first response. He cited the only other police department using drones for such -- Chula Vista, California -- as an example for the value of considering drones.

Of the 1,144 calls in which the drone was sent out as a first responder between Oct 22, 2018 and Dec. 3, 2019:

Im hoping to bring this presentation to the committee of the whole with a policy, Kiddle said. I know itll be controversial. We want to work with the community to see how we can use drones effectively within guidelines.

In Chula Vista, the police department has an individual who controls the drone. It is only deployed following a 911 call, and doesnt record until it reaches the scene, according to police.

Here are some examples of the benefits Chula Vista has seen with its drone program:

The Grand Rapids Police Department hopes to have public discussions about the technology, with the goal of initiating a pilot program by spring 2020.

Kiddle said Motorola would be interested in sponsoring the pilot program at no cost to the city. He said the drones typically cost a couple thousand dollars but he didnt know the cost of the software.

City commissioners on the public safety committee who heard Tuesdays presentation include Joe Jones, Nate Moody and Kurt Reppart, as well as commissioner-to-be Milinda Ysasi.

Reppart said he pulled a group of residents together to talk about the technology. He was surprised how open they were to certain aspects, but said they were concerned about a slippery slope regarding the use of drones once the department adds them to its arsenal.

See the article here:
Drones, ShotSpotter to be considered by Grand Rapids police - MLive.com