Scoop: New Orleans brings back controversial gunshot-detecting technology
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The New Orleans Police Department is reviving a controversial gunfire-detecting technology in neighborhoods across the city.
Why it matters: The city discontinued using the program, called ShotSpotter, more than a decade ago after authorities couldn't show that it reduced crime, among other reasons.
The big picture: The ShotSpotter pilot program is expected to start Tuesday in the 5th District and last six months, NOPD spokesperson Karen Boudrie tells Axios New Orleans.
- The 5th District includes the Marigny, Bywater, St. Claude, St. Roch and the upper and lower 9th Ward.
- NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick previously said she wants to connect ShotSpotter's technology to cameras in the city's Real Time Crime Center so they would turn, span and zoom when gunfire is detected. (2023 presentation)
- The pilot program is free, Boudrie says.
Friction point: National critics say ShotSpotter perpetuates heavy-handed policing in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods while officials contend that it's a useful tool.
- ShotSpotter's parent company, SoundThinking, says the technology has a 97% accuracy rate and can help first responders arrive quicker to collect evidence or render first aid, even when no one calls 911, writes Axios' Melissa Santos.
How it works: ShotSpotter sets up acoustic sensors at the top of buildings or light poles in targeted areas, writes Axios' Russell Contreras.
- The sensors listen for sounds like pops, booms and bangs, and computer algorithms categorize the noises and triangulate their location, the company says.
- Suspected gunshots are sent to acoustic experts at 24/7 review centers.
- Police can listen to the sound via an app and determine how to respond. The process is said to take about 60 seconds.
Yes, but: An Associated Press investigation called out "serious flaws" with ShotSpotter, based on thousands of documents and dozens of interviews with public defenders in cities where ShotSpotter is used.
- Cities such as Seattle, Atlanta, San Antonio and Charlotte have abandoned the technology after investigations questioning its effectiveness, writes Axios' Kyle Stokes.
- Chicago's internal watchdog found just 9% of confirmed ShotSpotter alerts led police to evidence of a gun-related crime.
- Baton Rouge ended its $400,000 annual contract in February with ShotSpotter after 18 years amid budget cuts, according to The Advocate.
What's new: ShotSpotter's technology is "much more advanced" than when New Orleans last used it, Boudrie says.
- Along with increasing response times, she said, the program should help establish speed/direction of drive-by shootings and provide precise timelines for gunfire.
State of play: Kirkpatrick has been a proponent since she started in 2023 of using technology to "enhance" crime-fighting techniques.
- The department now regularly uses drones for surveillance at large events.
- She's also discussed her desire to use GPS darts during car chases. The department is still looking into these, Boudrie confirmed last week.
Until recently, NOPD officers also were getting real-time alerts from Project NOLA's AI-enhanced crime camera network.
- Kirkpatrick paused those while the department investigates whether they are within the confines of the city's rules, according to the Washington Post.
- Bryan Lagarde, the owner of Project NOLA, has since pushed back, saying in a now-deleted Facebook post that the alerts could have helped catch the jail escapees earlier.
- Councilmembers Oliver Thomas and Eugene Green say they are looking at loosening the restrictions at NOPD's request, according to the Times-Picayune.
By the numbers: 84% of New Orleans adults surveyed in a recent poll said they support NOPD's increased use of computer analytics and other technologies to solve crimes, according to the New Orleans Crime Coalition.
- 68% of those surveyed said they support using facial recognition technology.
What's next: The facial recognition ordinance is on the agenda for the June 26 council meeting.
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