ShotSpotter, a leader in gunshot detection solutions that help law enforcement officials identify, locate and deter gun violence, and a competitor in the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, has expanded its partnership with Verizon Communications to include reselling ShotSpotter Flex, the company’s flagship gunshot detection solution, as a stand-alone offering to its customers.
ShotSpotter, used by more than 90 cities to help fight gun crime, expects to benefit from the scale and distribution Verizon offers.
(See how ShotSpotter Works and take a close look at ShotSpotter’s Incident Review Center. Courtesy of ShotSpotter and YouTube. Posted on Jun 8, 2018.)
“We believe adding the leadership, reach and influence of Verizon as a ShotSpotter reseller will be a force multiplier for our business, allowing us to access and serve more cities across the country,” said Ralph Clark, President and CEO of ShotSpotter.
“Verizon’s large and experienced sales teams have longstanding relationships with many municipalities, so it’s a natural fit.”
“We expect the addition of ShotSpotter Flex within our Smart Communities suite of solutions, including public safety and traffic management, will be a clear value-add for cities, and we are excited to include this offering to our customers,” said Mrinalini Ingram, VP of Smart Communities for Verizon.
(See how Verizon has partnered with some of America’s major cities to deliver innovative Smart Community solutions. Verizon Smart Communities solutions help solve some of a city’s most pressing challenges with intelligent lighting, video, traffic management and interactive kiosks. All to help deliver a happier, safe and more engaged public. Courtesy of Verizon and YouTube. Posted on Aug 22, 2017.)
Earlier this year, ShotSpotter announced an agreement with Verizon to bring the ShotSpotter solution to cities across the country by leveraging Verizon’s Light Sensory Network, an IoT platform deployed on street lights.
ShotSpotter Flex helps law enforcement agencies by quickly directing police to the location of gunfire incidents.
The SaaS-based system sends alerts within 60 seconds of gunshot detection to dispatch centers and to patrol officers on their mobile computers and smartphones.
The alerts improve response times to crime scenes to better aid victims and identify witnesses, as well as help police locate key evidence to identify and prosecute suspects.
(Learn More about Verizon Intelligent Lighting Solutions: Smart Street Lighting System. Through the power of the ThingSpace platform, Verizon is creating a digital infrastructure for smarter city services and revenue generation opportunities. Smart lighting can become a central point of technology for other IoT solutions. Courtesy of Verizon Enterprise and YouTube. Posted on Sep 9, 2016.)
Chicago Expands ShotSpotter Coverage Area to More Than 100 Square Miles
Shooting Incidents in 2018 Down More Than 26% Over Same Period in 2017
ShotSpotter is being significantly expanded within the city of Chicago – now blanketing the nation’s third largest city with more than 100 square miles of coverage, up from 3 square miles in 2012.
Chicago is the company’s largest customer and one of more than 85 cities that use the ShotSpotter solution to help fight urban gun crime including New York City, Oakland, Milwaukee and Denver.
Chicago saw shooting incidents drop more than 26 percent and gun-related homicides by 20 percent in the first four months of 2018, as compared to the same period in 2017.
The Chicago Police Department has stated that its success in reducing gun violence is largely due to the combination of ShotSpotter and the introduction of Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) in key districts.
These centers use data-driven, evidence-based policing and feature ShotSpotter. Currently, the city has 11 SDSCs out of 22 districts using ShotSpotter.
“The one technology that has made the most difference in Chicago’s reduction in gun violence in the last 12 months has been ShotSpotter – it’s a game changer,” said Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“We are pleased with the progress made in the last year, but we plan to achieve even more.”
“With our SDSCs and ShotSpotter, we want residents to feel safe and know we are ready to respond faster and predict where the next incident may occur.”
Using ShotSpotter, Chicago police receive instantaneous alerts of detected gunfire enabling them to arrive at the precise location of a shooting event quickly.
Instead of relying on a low rate of 911 calls, law enforcement can now respond in real-time to aid victims, interview witnesses, and collect forensic evidence.
This improves the overall effectiveness of the agency in identifying and apprehending shooters, and taking illegal guns off the streets.
It also reassures communities that law enforcement is there to serve them and helps to build bridges with local citizens.
Chicago police have reported that they have recovered over 2,500 illegal guns in 2018 to date.
“Chicago is an excellent example of how law enforcement is using ShotSpotter as a central element of a holistic program to reduce gun violence and improve relationships between law enforcement and the community,” added Clark.
“Data-driven policing leads to faster, more precise deployment of resources as well as the ability to better deter and prevent gun violence.”
ShotSpotter Competes in 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
AST focuses on Homeland Security and Public Safety Breaking News, the Newest Initiatives and Hottest Technologies in Physical & IT Security, essential to meeting today’s growing security challenges.
The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of Physical, IT, Port Security, Law Enforcement, Border Security, First Responders, (Fire, EMT, Military, Support Services Vets, SBA, Medical Tech) as well as the Federal, State, County and Municipal Government Agencies – to acknowledge their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
As an ‘ASTORS’ competitor, ShotSpotter will be competing against the industry’s leading providers of Innovative Gunshot Detection Solutions.
To Learn More about the ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, see 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners Honored at ISC East.
Over 100 distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government, gathered from across North America and the Middle East to be honored from disciplines across the Security Industry in their respective fields which included representatives of:
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Leaders in Private Security
