2014 Digital Yearbook of Homeland Security Awards

GSN 2014 Digital Yearbook of Homeland Security Awards Recipients
Government Agency Awards
South Bend, Indiana Police Dept. –
2014 Platinum Winner
Awards Category:
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Most Notable Municipal/County Security Program,
Project or Initiative
Name of Nominated Product, Service,
or Program:
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ShotSpotter in South Bend, Indiana
Reason this entry deserves to win:
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South Bend PD wrestled with how to best control an
increasing amount of gunfire activity to reduce crime
and make the community safe. To combat this problem,
it implemented SST’s ShotSpotter technology SST. Now,
police are alerted in seconds of authenticated gunfire
incidents, and given location data pinpointed and reliable
to within 25 meters – saving a tremendous amount
of time responding. This time could be the difference
that could save a victim’s life and greatly increases its
chances of apprehending the perpetrator. After the first
nine months of using SpotShotter, Chief Teachman has
seen significant improvements in South Bend. First, the
number of 911 calls in the hotspot area has increased
from approximately 8% to 25%. This is a tremendous
help to officers as the addition of citizen’s reporting
helps bolster the effectiveness of SpotShotter in solving
crime. Secondly, South Bend has seen an increase in evidence
collection from just 5% of the 911 gunfire calls to
50% of those calls when accompanied by a ShotSpotter
alert. Thirdly, the summer season usually has the most
incidents of gun activity in all cities, and in South Bend
the past summer saw a marked decrease by some 38%
from the average of the four years prior. Responding officers’
safety is also improved as they can be better prepared
when arriving on the scene knowing the number
of gunshots, the locations of each, and the movement of
the suspect or suspects.
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