Using a Place-Based Technology to Reduce Shootings in East Palo Alto, CA

• In Event: New Findings from the Smart Policing Initiative

Abstract

The deployment of gunshot location detection systems has been on the rise in police departments across the country. To date, this technology has typically been used as a rapid response tool by alerting dispatchers about shooting incidents in real time and without reliance on citizen calls for service. But the East Palo Alto Police Department, in collaboration with a research partner at the University of California, Berkeley, is using data generated by the system as a strategic and analytical tool for problem-oriented policing efforts. Shooting hot spots have been identified and an in-depth assessment of the nature of shootings over a four and a half year period has been conducted. The findings from this assessment are helping officers to develop strategies and interventions to reduce shootings using a problem-oriented policing approach. This effort is also yielding insights about the strengths and weaknesses of this promising, yet untested source of crime data.

Authors

• Melvin Gaines, East Palo Alto Police Department

• Sarah Lawrence, University of California, Berkeley