ShotSpotter: Acoustic Surveillance System in Washington, DC localized 39,000 shots since 2006

On Habré, not so long ago, acoustic monitoring systems were described, some of which are used by the police of the United States and other countries to detect the sound of a shot and the subsequent departure of a police patrol to the place where the shot occurred. The police claim that not always people call the police when they shoot somewhere. If they call, it can take a long time until the person decides to call, plus the police arrive at the scene. The real-time acoustic monitoring system, ShotSpotter, is used as a solution.

This system is far from new, in Washington, DC it was installed back in 2006 (that is, it was created much earlier), gradually improving. Over the years, this system localized 39,000 shots from firearms, and the police were able to quickly respond in each case.
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The system itself is arranged as follows: on the houses, pillars and other tall buildings, directional microphones are installed that capture all the sounds. Acoustic point, so to speak, is equipped with appropriate software, conducting preliminary identification of sharp sounds, as well as GPS, which allows you to specify the place where the shot was made. In the case of positive shot identification, information is transmitted to the central computer, where additional sound analysis is carried out (in order to weed out possible false alarms, such as a flying helicopter, an exploding firecracker, which is more difficult, and any other interference). If the shot is confirmed, the patrol leaves on the spot.

All it takes is just a few minutes. In addition to being able to quickly respond to an incident, the system brings a different kind of benefit. Thus, the number of firearm incidents in some regions of Washington, DC fell from 129 (in 2009) to 17 (last year).

After some time, the same system is planned to be installed at airports, in particular, at the airport of Los Angeles, where the shooting incident happened a few days ago.

Via washingtonpost