Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing.

ShotSpotter Alerts Police To Lots Of Gunfire, But Produces Few Tangible Results [More]

Who knew?

Per WarOnGuns Correspondent William T:

I read your article re: the missing Captain, and noted your tongue-in-cheek reference to "CopSpotter". For whatever reason, I decided to do a search to see how effective the ShotSpotter system might be. If the article I found is anywhere near accurate, ShotSpotter is worthless. I used this Forbes article as the basis of the attached S/S.

I downloaded the data files Forbes purportedly used to produce their article, but was unable to reconcile the raw data to the web article. I'm attaching the ZIP file I downloaded, as well as an Excel spreadhseet that demonstrate how useless ShotSpotter is. Hope it's useful.

But hey, you get the budget, you gotta spend it if you want to "justify" more next year.  Isn't that the way it works?

Plus if your ineptitude and corruption allows things to get too hot, you can always hold another "buyback" dog and pony show.

Legitimate Spotting Purposes?

 “We want to correct the record and we want to hold them to account for their defamatory campaign which has caused damage, compromising future contracts, damaging business relationships and our reputation,” ShotSpotter CEO Ralph Clark told The Daily Beast in a brief interview. “It has also damaged our company's enterprise value causing our stock price to fall.” [More]

Not that I give a damn about what happens to Vice, but how is saying ShotSpotter is a joke not true?

Nobody actually thought Chipman would be associated with anything that works, did they?

UPDATE: 

Oh, look, they helped catch a moron. So doesn't this invalidate what I just said above?

No.  I plan to explain why in an upcoming AmmoLand article.

[Via Mack H]

A Proactive Reaction

ShotSpotter, Inc., the leading developer of mission-essential acoustic surveillance systems for law enforcement, homeland security and military end-users, announced today that the City of Troy and the Troy Police Department will implement the ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System(R) (GLS) as a part of the department's latest approach to proactively combating gun crime.

I hate to be contrary, but wouldn't "proactively" mean it could do something about it before the shots were fired?

What, will it send Doug and Tony back to just before the shooting, to tackle the guys?

And y'all have read "The Black Arrow," right?

We're the Only Ones Getting Less from More Enough

More US police using gunfire detection system...

But former Boston police lieutenant Thomas Nolan questions whether the money spent on the technology could better be used to hire more police.

"The cops I talk to on the street think ShotSpotter is a joke," said Nolan, associate criminal justice professor at Boston University. [More]

But a sick and dangerous joke nonetheless, considering the overarching "Only One" surveillance society it "normalizes."

By the way, you know the relationship between Shotspotter and "The Black Arrow," don't you? You've read it, right?

[Via Ed M]

"But the System is Not Dead-on Accurate"

Sixteen cities across the country have installed ShotSpotter, a system of rooftop listening devices that triangulates the origin of gunshots and pinpoints, in seconds, the location on a map. This week, Boston introduces a plan to spend $1.5 million on the system...

But the system is not dead-on accurate, meaning police must be circumspect about how they use the new trove of data, warn civil liberty advocates. Data from ShotSpotter has not yet been challenged in court, and both the company and defense attorneys predict an eventual showdown.

That's why I'm waiting for someone to propose a new bill requiring all bullets be equipped with GPS transponders...along with mandatory shutoff switches on all firearms that the police can activate via radio signal from a safe distance, or maybe even deactivate them all by satellite signal in a time of emergency.

Hey, who could possibly be against that but someone up to no good?

We're the Only Ones Lost and Found Enough

Last month, he publicly introduced the Shotspotter pilot program to allow police to pinpoint the origin of gunshots with acoustic technology. [More]

Sounds like they'd be better served with Copspotter...

I've been through about a dozen reports and haven't seen anything on why he went missing.  It sure seems strange as does the lack of explanation, but then again, look which department we're talking about.

I'll update if I get a link to more.

[Via Wynn A]

And Your Point Is...?

 In fact, the ATF stated as recently as Jan. 11 that “in any event, because receiver blanks do not fall within the plain meaning of the [Gun Control Act’s] definition of ‘firearm,’ the consequences of that definition are for Congress to address.” Thus, the Biden team’s attempt to regulate these kits would literally violate the law.[More]

Since when has that been a problem?

And guess who new regs won't deter...

Nice to see ShotSpotter finally caught some low-hanging fruit morons. $1.5M for that, eh?

[Via Jess]

UPDATE:

And as long as I'm on the subject of "ghost guns," here's a follow-up to yesterday's post:

Statement from gun show promoter who banned the sale of “ghost guns” at their shows…[More]

Inconvenient Truths Could Work Against ShotSpotter in Lawsuit Against Vice News

The problem is, Vice is not alone in its negative assessments, and the list of those who could be sued for reporting similar conclusions may not work in the company’s favor. [More]

It figures a company that would hire David Chipman would have a business model that relies on feeding at the tax dollar trough.

Spotting More than Shots:While Putting the "New" in New York

Is NYC’s new gunshot detection system recording private conversations? [More]

Probably. After all, it picked up a man's voice in Oakland.  I recall when the system had not yet been challenged in court because it was "not dead-on accurate," and how Boston cops had "called it a joke."

Matter of fact, why they're calling it "new" is a bit of a mislead, as we've been talking about it here for some years (and Vin Suprynowicz wrote about it before then, hence the arrow).

From one such post in 2008:

Let's do an experiment.

BANG BANG BANG

Now imagine how far away you could be in the two minutes "average time" Newark says it takes them to respond. And why on earth would we not believe a Newark police official?
"Currently ShotSpotter is deployed in more than 29 major U.S. cities," we are told.

Anyone got numbers to demonstrate a reduction in "gun violence" attributable to the system?

The word "fraud" comes to mind. But I guess when you're part of the problem, there's nothing to do but keep the con game going as long as you can find suckers to fall for it.

It does keep the money coming in though, does it not?
 
[Via Felix B]

Holy Toledo!

 At around 2:30 a.m. last Monday, Chicago police officers were responding to a ShotSpotter alert of eight shots fired when they came upon Toledo and a 21-year-old man in an alley near 24th and Sawyer in Little Village. They say a foot pursuit ensued and during an "armed confrontation," an officer shot Toledo in the chest. [More]

There appear to be as many photos of the proto-banger as an adorable little boy as there are of St. Trayvon Martyr. 

Urban LeGend

 US Attorney General in St. Louis today focusing on crime-fighting initiative [More]

All that and surveillance and Shotspotter too?

Still going after effects instead of causes, I see.

Where's the delegated federal authority for this again?

[Via bondmen]

"Helping to Reduce Gun Violence"

The technology alerts law enforcement officials to the location of gunfire within seconds with pinpoint accuracy, helping to reduce gun violence.

How? The shots have already happened. By going back in time?

We've talked about this before.

Let's do an experiment.

BANG BANG BANG

Now imagine how far away you could be in the two minutes "average time" Newark says it takes them to respond. And why on earth would we not believe a Newark police official?

"Currently ShotSpotter is deployed in more than 29 major U.S. cities," we are told.

Anyone got numbers to demonstrate a reduction in "gun violence" attributable to the system?

The word "fraud" comes to mind. But I guess when you're part of the problem, there's nothing to do but keep the con game going as long as you can find suckers to fall for it.

My Kind of Razzmatazz

 There have been 99 expressway shootings in the Chicago area so far this year, far exceeding the 52 seen in 2019, and 43 in 2018. And while no highway is immune, one stands out. [More]

How, by showing everyone what a fraudulent joke Shotspotter is?

And no, documenting "results" and lack thereof can hardly be considered libelous.

Forget it, Jake. It's Chi-Town.

[Via bondmen]

We're the Only Ones Surviving Enough

 In an exclusive interview, retired Oakland Police Capt. Ersie Joyner describes a fatal armed robbery where he killed a man and ended up surviving 22 bullet wounds. [Watch]

How do you think that would have ended had he not been an "Only One" in "may issue" Oakland? And he was on his way to the airport with a gun on his person?

I guess being in the pot business doesn't mean he's prohibited like a user would be...

And as for crediting ShotSpotter, you'd think the system would produce a result once in a while.

[Via 1Gat]

We're the Only Ones Spotting Enough

Sergeant Shawn McGuire said over the past year the department saw a ten percent decrease in violent crime, made 23 arrests and seized 16 guns with the help of ShotSpotter. [More]

Define "with the help of." Were they known high-crime areas and were none of the incidents called in?

With all the hoopla to justify the tax plunder boondoggle, how do you account for this, Sarge?

The total number of homicides for this year in St. Louis to 57, which is three more than the same period in 2017.

Sure, Fletcher, you can say it now.

[Via bondmen]

FraudProdder

 Motherboard’s review of court documents from the Williams case and other trials in Chicago and New York State, including testimony from ShotSpotter’s favored expert witness, suggests that the company’s analysts frequently modify alerts at the request of police departments—some of which appear to be grasping for evidence that supports their narrative of events. [More]

Hey, the economic fascists gotta do something to make it look like they're not a total boondoggle scam.

And tell me that doesn't help explain their hiring choices.

[Via Henry Bowman]

We're the Only Ones Spotty Enough

 Virginia Beach City Manager appoints 30-year veteran from Cincinnati as new Chief of Police [More]

Let's see, one of his big plans to get control of everything is to use ShotSpotter?

The one that he's been using in Cincinnati? Leaving "Cincinnati on pace for record killings"?

Yeah, he should fit right in.

[Via Mack H]

Where Credit is Due

They sure make it sound like a lot more than is due though. [More]

Guess they gotta justify the costs and keep that "public/private partnership" economic fascism going.

Any numbers on how much LEO agencies have spent on ShotSpotter and how many cases owe their resolution entirely to responders being led to a perp in action?

Hey, they're "doing something." And lazy "journalists" get something to file without having to do much more than reword the talking points.

A question for the breathless reporterette on the video: We're calling them "high-capacity firearms" now?

[Via bondmen]

There is No Try

 ShotSpotter is trying to solve a genuine problem. [More]

What's that, Master Yoda?

Nothing like a suck-up puff piece to distract the masses from some inconvenient truths.

[Via Jess]

Spotting Shots

The quick response - within seconds - came because a nearby sensor picked up the sound of the muzzle blast, pinpointed the shooter's location to within 10 feet and alerted police dispatchers of the address...The ShotSpotter system is only triggered by gunfire and it can discern the type of weapon (rifle, shotgun or handgun) being used. The software in the sensors also commands the surveillance cameras to rotate and focus on the spot where the shot was fired.

Shades of "The Black Arrow."

I wonder what would happen if someone played some of these through loudspeakers...

[Via KABA Newslinks]