DEPARTMENT: Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT: ShotSpotter Pilot Program Update
SUMMARY:
On April, 26, 2017, the one year ShotSpotter (SST) pilot program is scheduled to expire. ShotSpotter, Inc. recently presented the City of San Antonio a proposal to extend the pilot program through September 26, 2017, at a cost of $108,333.33. The proposed extension will allow the SAPD to complete an evaluation of the technology analyzing data compiled utilizing the full complement of SST resources for an entire year.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Program Description
On April 29, 2016, the San Antonio Police Department launched the one year ShotSpotter Pilot Program. As part of the pilot program, ShotSpotter Inc. provides subscription based access to the ShotSpotter Flex Gunfire Location, Alert and Analysis Service. The service includes a combined four square mile acoustic surveillance system that can detect and locate gunfire throughout the two coverage areas located in the East and West sides of San Antonio. The service features real-time location of gunfire, audio clips and provides instant review and assessment of gunshot incidents by the SST gunshot review team.
At the time of initial deployment, the ShotSpotter mobile client utilized a version of Microsoft Silverlight that is no longer supported by Microsoft. In late September 2016, SST advised the SAPD that a new mobile client was available. SAPD received the mobile client in early October and completed deployment to officers in the pilot areas in December 2016. The mobile client is an important component in that it allows officers to receive instant notification of SST activations and provides critical information to include a map detailing activation location as well as audio of the incident.
Pilot Program Enhancements
Since the launch of the pilot program in April 2016, the SAPD has implemented several enhancements related to the Department’s response to SST activations at the recommendation of City Council. Those enhancements include: distribution of door hangers to homes in close proximity to activation locations, Code 2 response to all SST activations, analysis of chronic activation locations, iPhone deployment to officers assigned to patrol SST areas, and dedicated T shift overtime officer in each pilot area.
The Code 2 designation of all SST activations and dedicated T Shift overtime officer, in particular, has resulted in reduced officer response times to SST activation sites. Since January 2017, the average response time to SST activations is 5:09.
Results to Date
The following is a summary of the results, directly attributable to SST, that have been achieved to date as of April 2, 2017:
|
Measure |
Total |
|
Activations |
694 |
|
Rounds Detected |
3,256 |
|
Pieces of Evidence Recovered |
355 |
|
Firearms Confiscated |
7 |
|
Arrests |
4 |
Evaluation
The SAPD continues to collect data to measure the effectiveness of the ShotSpotter technology and has modified the response to activation locations to enhance communication with the community. The SAPD will conduct a thorough review of the performance and results achieved during the pilot period, utilizing the data above to form the basis for the final recommendation. Additionally, the department will also evaluate the program during the upcoming budget process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The extension of the pilot period at a cost of $108,333.33 through the end of FY 2017 will result in the reallocation of funds which will delay the purchase of training equipment and materials as well as the replacement of digital cameras for CSI.
The City has paid a total of $270,000.00 under the terms of the current SST one-year agreement which expires on April 26, 2017.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council may choose not to extend the pilot program which would result in the expiration of the existing contract on April 26, 2017.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the approval from City Council of the proposed extension of the ShotSpotter pilot program through the end of the current fiscal year for an amount of $108,333.33.