CINCINNATI -- It's been six months since ShotSpotter went live in the streets of Cincinnati. Now, police are putting that data into practice to promote safety in our neighborhoods.
So far this year, Avondale has yet to see anyone get shot in the neighborhood. Last year, an average of three people were shot each month in Avondale.
Asst. Police Chief Paul Neudigate said ShotSpotter has made much of the difference. With this new data, police can take a proactive approach.
"Data shows we have much more gun fire activity on Sunday then we initially believed so we now deploy resources and personnel on Sunday," Neudigate said.
The data from ShotSpotter provides a more accurate picture, Neudigate said. Out of more than 300 incidents ShotSpotter's detected since August, only 15 percent of those shots fired were actually reported.
Groups like Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America hope that ShotSpotter will help them achieve their own goals -- to promote gun legislation aimed at preventing gun violence. With ShotSpotter's data, groups like this one can better argue their case.
"It's another tool in the tool chest for gun violence prevention," group member Michelle Mueller said. "Get more voices to help us, in a supportive way, to show those kinds of laws are weakening the strong standards that we have now."
For now, ShotSpotter is only being used in Avondale, parts of Corryville, Mt. Auburn and Walnut Hills. Police want to implement ShotSpotter in other parts of the city -- but the city's budget needs to allow an expansion of the program.
"The money, the investment is certainly necessary so we can get that desired outcome of safer streets," City Councilman Jeff Pastor said. "So I'm willing to have the conversation to find where we can save and get this money.
