ShotSpotter, a leader in gunshot detection solutions that help law enforcement officials identify, locate and deter gun violence, and a 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, announced the results of its annual ShotSpotter National Gunfire Index (NGI) for 2018 – the most comprehensive study to capture, analyze, and report on gunfire incidents annually.
The study is based on a subset of 88 U.S. cities using ShotSpotter technology during 2018 and 62 of those cities comparing use year-over-year during the same time period from 2017 to 2018.
ShotSpotter detected more than 107,000 total gunfire incidents across the U. S. in 2018.
In cities using ShotSpotter for both 2017 and 2018, the company identified an overall 7.6 percent reduction in gunfire events, from 49,324 incidents in 2017 to 45,599 events for 2018.
(See a brief overview of ShotSpotter Flex Gunshot Detection for Cities. Courtesy of ShotSpotter and YouTube. Posted on Jun 8, 2018.)
Cities with significant declines in gunfire incidents for 2018 include Savannah, GA (-30.1 percent), Fresno, Calif. (-28.9 percent) and Milwaukee, WI (-24.3 percent).
“Thanks to a comprehensive program of aggressive gun crime strategies, including ShotSpotter, we are proud to have achieved more than a twenty percent reduction in gun violence in 2018,” said Alfonso Morales, Milwaukee Police Chief.
“By pairing innovative technology with proactive policing policies, our entire community is safer and more engaged with law enforcement.”
The average gunshot incident rate per square mile for 2018 was highest in the midwest region of the U.S. with 236, closely followed by the south with 218, and then dropping to 109 for the western region and 75 for the northeast.
The average incident rate per square mile declined from 2017 to 2018 in the midwest by 13.8 percent, in the northeast by 5.1 percent and the south by 3.6 percent.
The only increase was in the western region where the rate moved up slightly by 3.5 percent.
(Microphones that detect gunfire and a network of cameras are some of the new technology helping reduce gun violence on Chicago’s South Side. Courtesy of NBC News and YouTube. Posted on May 10, 2018.)
ShotSpotter has amassed the world’s largest audio database of gunshots, and sounds that are similar to gunshots, with more than 12 million incidents reviewed.
This provides the company with a unique perspective on gun violence in America and continually trains a machine-learning based classification system that steadily improves over time.
“ShotSpotter is in a unique position to track, analyze and share this comprehensive gunfire incident data to help cities across the country in their efforts to prevent and deter gun violence,” said Ralph Clark, president and CEO of ShotSpotter.
ShotSpotter maintains a 24/7 Incident Review Center staffed by acoustic experts to quickly analyze and confirm that acoustic events are gunfire, append helpful tactical information for police such as “multiple shooters” or “automatic weapons,” and then immediately send an alert to local law enforcement.
Other key findings include:
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Busiest day in 2018 for ShotSpotter Incident Review Center – August 26 with 437 incidents detected.
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Busiest hour in 2018 for ShotSpotter Incident Review Center – December 26 from midnight to 1:00 am with 62 incidents detected.
The trend of heaviest gunfire activity occurring on weekend nights continued in 2018.
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Busiest night of week – Saturday with an average rate of 337 incidents.
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Second busiest night of the week – Friday with an average rate of 285 incidents.
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Third busiest night of the week – Sunday with an average rate of 246 incidents.
(See how ShotSpotter helps solve a murder. Courtesy of FOX 2 St. Louis and YouTube. Posted on Aug 7, 2018.)
Gunfire incidents in 2018, as tracked by hour of the day, followed a similar pattern to 2017:
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Most active period was between 10pm and midnight.
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Single most active hour was 11pm to midnight.
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The lowest number of gunfire incidents by hour was between the hours of 6am and 10am.
The average rounds per gunfire incident were very similar across the different regions of the U.S. for 2018:
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Southern region – 3.8
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Midwest region – 3.7
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Western region – 3.7
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Northeastern region – 3.2
ShotSpotter provides precision-policing solutions for law enforcement to help deter gun violence and make cities, campuses and facilities safer.
ShotSpotter Takes Home the Gold in 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
ShotSpotter
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Best Gunshot Detection System
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ShotSpotter
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The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is specifically designed to honor distinguished government and vendor solutions that deliver enhanced value, benefit and intelligence to end users in a variety of government, homeland security and public safety vertical markets.
The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program drew an overwhelming response from industry leaders with a record high number of corporate and government nominations received, as well as record breaking ‘ASTORS’ Presentation Luncheon Attendees, with top firms trying to register for the exclusive high – end luncheon and networking opportunity – right up to the event kickoff on Wednesday afternoon, at the ISC East registration!
Over 130 distinguished guests representing National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Firms, gathered from across North America, Europe and the Middle East to be honored among their peers in their respective fields which included:
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Federal Protective Service (FPS)
- Argonne National Laboratory
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission Office of Personnel Management
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Viasat, Hanwha Techwin, Lenel, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, Verint, Canon U.S.A., BriefCam, Pivot3, Milestone Systems, Allied Universal, Ameristar Perimeter Security and More!
The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program highlighting the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today, to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition, and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program was Proudly Sponsored by ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, Desktop Alert, and Royal Holdings Technologies.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
Comprehensive List of Categories Include:
| Access Control/ Identification | Personal/Protective Equipment | Law Enforcement Counter Terrorism |
| Perimeter Barrier/ Deterrent System | Interagency Interdiction Operation | Cloud Computing/Storage Solution |
| Facial/IRIS Recognition | Body Worn Video Product | Cyber Security |
| Video Surveillance/VMS | Mobile Technology | Anti-Malware |
| Audio Analytics | Disaster Preparedness | ID Management |
| Thermal/Infrared Camera | Mass Notification System | Fire & Safety |
| Metal/Weapon Detection | Rescue Operations | Critical Infrastructure |
| License Plate Recognition | Detection Products | And Many Others! |
Don’t see a Direct Hit for your Product, Agency or Organization?
Submit your category recommendation for consideration to Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at: mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
2018 Champions Edition
See the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Champions Edition – ‘Best Products of 2018 ‘ Year in Review’ for in-depth coverage of the outstanding products and services of firms receiving American Security Today’s 2018‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards.’
Nominations for the AST 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program will officially open as of January 1st, 2019 at americansecuritytoday.com.
Enter Early to Maximize Media Coverage of your Products and Services at Kickoff, and Get the Recognition Your Organization Deserves!
And be sure to Register Early for the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East 2019 to ensure your place at this limited- space event!
2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Luncheon at ISC East
Why the 2019 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program?
American Security Today’s comprehensive Annual Homeland Security Awards Program is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of physical, IT, port security, law enforcement, and first responders, in acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
Why American Security Today?
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 70,000 readers at the Federal, State and local levels of government as well as firms allied to government.
The old traditional security marketplace has been covered by a host of security publications that have changed little over many years.
American Security Today brings forward a fresh compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that provides our readers with solutions to their challenges.
Our Editorial staff provides a full plate of topics for our AST monthly digital editions, AST Website and AST Daily News Alerts.
The editorial calendar and AST’s high drawing website features 23 different Technology and Marketing Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities and Emergency Response among others.
These sectors are part of the new integration, where these major applications communicate with one another in a variety of solutions to protect our cities and critical infrastructure.
AST has Expanded readership into vital Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other Potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – enticing targets for extremist or lone wolf attacks due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
The company’s flagship product, ShotSpotter® Flex™, is the leading gunshot detection, location and forensic analysis system, and is trusted by more than 90 cities.
ShotSpotter® Missions™ (formerly HunchLab) uses artificial intelligence-driven analysis to help strategically plan patrol missions and tactics for maximum crime deterrence.
(See a 3 minute summary of our crime forecasting and patrol management software. Courtesy of ShotSpotter and YouTube. Posted on Jan 23, 2019.)
