ShotSpotter Helps Make Arrests, Recover Firearms, at Western Addition Shooting

While the below update is a few weeks old, I’d like to share it with you, as it illustrates the effectiveness of the ShotSpotter system. ShotSpotter near instantaneously alerts officers on incidents of gunfire, allowing them to arrive minutes faster than by way of citizen reporting (assuming that there is a corresponding 911 call). Because the system dramatically improves response time, it often allows officers, as in the below case, to make critical arrests and recover dangerous weapons. My office, as directed by the Mayor, and in cooperation with the Police Department and Board of Supervisors, has rolled out ShotSpotter in select sections of the Bayview, Western Addition and Mission. We continue to monitor the succesess of this program, with the hopes of expanding coverage to other parts of the city. Of note, ShotSpotter is part of a larger Technology-Informed Policing (TIP) iniative by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. Critical to the success of this program to-date, has been the hard work and leadership of Lt. Mikail Ali, who serves as Senior Public Safety Advisor to both Mayor Newsom and my office.

1/08/09, 1:25PM - Police officers detained three suspects in a gang-related shooting at Golden Gate and Fillmore. The shooting occurred following a funeral service for a recent homicide victim. The suspects fired into the procession of mourners as they were leaving the funeral home. The suspects were San Francisco residents, male, ages 21, 21 and 20. The gunfire was immediately detected by the ShotSpotter system and nearby plainclothes units, comprised of members of both Northern Station and Gang Task Force, quickly apprehended the suspects. No one was struck by the gunfire. Police recovered a Tech 9 assault weapon.

KVR