Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and Chief of Police Kenton Buckner announced that ShotSpotter, the audio-based gunshot detection system, will be expanding into the Northside and will go live on Wednesday, according to a press release.

The ShotSpotter system was first implemented in 2017 and installed in parts of the south, west and east sides of the city. With the expansion, ShotSpotter will now cover an additional 2.1 square miles stretching from near Onondaga Lake to Teall Avenue, according to the release.

The expansion covers most of Syracuse’s Northside neighborhood. Since the beginning of 2022, there have been 28 incidents in the Northside where gunshots were fired, according to Syracuse Police Department’s comparative statistics crime report.

“We anticipate that our shots fired occurrence will increase with this new coverage area and residents should be aware of that,” Buckner said in the release.

The expansion cost of $171,000 was funded by American Rescue Plan Act pandemic relief, according to the release. The system was originally discontinued by the city after major budget cuts due to the pandemic. In the 2021 city budget, the program was reinstated.

ShotSpotter is an automatic detection system that locates any gunshot activity in a designated area and alerts authorities.

When one of the system’s sensors detects a gunshot-like pulse, it uses algorithms to confirm whether the sound was actually a gunshot. When multiple sensors detect the sound, the information is sent to a database in California that can detect within three to five seconds whether or not the pulse was a gunshot. In 2018, a one-year subscription of ShotSpotter cost $227,500.

The past success of ShotSpotter at reducing crime in the Syracuse area has been unclear. After the program’s cancellation, SPD spokesperson Lt. Matthew Malinowski said that the removal of the system would not lead to an increase in shootings. The technology didn’t prevent crime but instead was more useful for police response, he said at the time.

ShotSpotter allows SPD to pinpoint where shots fired occur and efficiently deploy police resources to the communities that need it most, Buckner said in the Tuesday press release.

“When a gunshot occurs, it’s a frightening and dangerous experience for neighborhoods. Having a faster and more accurate police response to where shots (occur) helps our residents feel safer and enables the police to investigate what happened more effectively,” Walsh said in the release. “ShotSpotter expansion will help make the north side and the rest of the city safer.”

Published on March 1, 2022 at 11:47 pm

Contact Grace: gdkatz@syr.edu