BY MIKE CETERA
It is a little bit James Bond, a little bit Big Brother.
But Aurora's plan to buy a gizmo to detect when gunshots are fired could just help police do their jobs -- and act as a deterrent.
The city says it has applied for a grant that could be used to buy equipment that can pinpoint the origin of a gunshot within seconds of it being fired.
Numerous cities have purchased the detection systems. Wired.com has a nice explanation of how the systems work.
A Department of Justice study from a number of years ago called the technology promising, but found three areas of concern:
Three concerns arise if a gunshot detection system is intended for use as a rapid response tool (that is, to trigger immediate police response to the sound of a gunshot). First, the police department may not have a rapid response policy or the resources to implement such a policy. Second, if the tool is inaccurate, police resources may be wasted by dispatching units to false alarms. Third, a police department that is committed to community policing may prefer to focus its resources on preventive measures, rather than on rapid response measures.
Wow, this is incredible. This would be money very well spent. Aurora is heading in so many great directions because of many great leaders, but particularly I want to commend Bill Powell, Police Chief, and Mayor Weisner. While people are mumbling and grumbling, these two guys are very busy DOING !!!!
From one who used to live in a firing zone at Union & Downer, I would feel relieved if the police had that availability to responding to bullet shots. If you live in an area like that, you fear for your families lives, but know you need to call the shots in. Then you are afraid the shooter will find out who you are & retaliate. It is not a familiy atmosphere. Let the gang members & other shooters go to some acreage in the ocuntry & hopefully, they will all shoot each other, if that's all they need to do. I'm sure they will find someone they need to find revenge on out there. It could be a new fad like gang signs, colors, etc. Makes as much sense!
There was another article published from Wired Magazine in May 2005 concerning this type of technology and related surveilance systems deployed in Chicago. Additional information concerning the CLEAR technology at Wikipedia and related evaluation summary Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
As with any system or technology, there are benefits, limitations and drawbacks that come with the territory. I am neither advocating for, nor detracting from, the deployment of such systems, but it does, IMO, merit in-depth considerations and evaluations from an informed public beforehand. Excerpts below from the Wired article:
...