Mobile is one City Council vote away from joining the growing list of cities using automated gunshot detection, with a proposed three-year contract worth roughly $640,000 with ShotSpotter headed for its first council consideration.
The push follows a year of rising violent crime in the city. Public Safety Director Lawrence Battiste said the system would give officers a new tool for responding to gunfire.
How the Technology Works
ShotSpotter relies on a network of microphones and sensors placed around covered areas. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the company says its technology can pinpoint a shooting location within about 82 feet and alert police to a reported gunshot within a minute roughly 90 percent of the time — often before anyone calls 911.
“We have a saying that when it comes to shootings time is tissue, meaning that the faster you can get the victim to medical care the better outcomes,” said Phil Dailly of ShotSpotter.
Battiste emphasized the system would not stand alone. The city plans to implement it alongside Alabama Power, which will add cameras and improved lighting in covered areas.
“I don’t believe … it would be an effective tool by itself, but the ability to integrate it with all of the other things that we have in place, I believe it will be an effective tool here in the City of Mobile,” he said.
Scrutiny From Elsewhere
ShotSpotter operates in more than 120 cities, including Birmingham and Montgomery. Its track record has drawn criticism elsewhere: an August 2021 report by Chicago’s Inspector General found that alerts “rarely produce documented evidence of a gun-related crime.” The company disputes that characterization, noting that traditional 911 calls during the same period produced reports or evidence at a similar rate — 16 percent versus 17 percent for ShotSpotter alerts — and citing independent audits putting its accuracy at 97 percent.
If the contract wins approval in the following weeks, city officials hope the system will be operational by June or July 2022. The locations of sensors will not be made public. Battiste said he expects violent crime to decline over the long run once the technology is in place.