Return of ShotSpotter? Durham City Council to consider bringing back gunfire detection system

ShotSpotter could return to 5he Bull City.

Durham City Council members will discuss bringing back the gunfire detection technology on Thursday.

They have a three-year contract on the table, covering the same area as the pilot program did.

A closer look shows us why police are now asking for the technology to return.

Durham police data going back years shows almost one third of shooting incidents happen in about 3% of the city's land mass. Those three square miles are where ShotSpotter was deployed - and where police are asking to turn it back on.

According to the agenda item coming before City Council, Durham Police say they want ShotSpotter back - based on the results of the year-long pilot that ended in December.

The data shows the median response time for police to confirmed shootings in the ShotSpotter area was 271 seconds. That's 88 seconds faster than the response time there in the year before.

Police said there was very little change (in fact, there was a four-second increase) in response time for the rest of the city.

ShotSpotter's Vice President of Forensic Services Thomas Chittum said if city council moves forward with the technology, it's as easy as flipping a switch, with sensors already in place.

"The experience that Durham had with ShotSpotter in its first year shows the value of the system, and we're anxious to get back to work there," Chittum said.

"If the vote indicates they want to resume ShotSpotter service, we could be back in action very quickly," Chittum added.

Critics of ShotSpotter said it increases police activity in communities of color and also brings up privacy concerns.

The three-year contract would cost about $650,000 in total. Thursday's work session starts at 1 p.m.

Durham police also pointed out that during the pilot program, there were no complaints about officer conduct when responding to ShotSpotter alerts.