GLENDALE, AZ — Police departments typically have some of their busiest nights of criminal activity on New Year’s Eve. One unique challenge for officers when reports of shootings come in: determining when shots were actually fired and when fireworks were set off. The Glendale Police Department uses a technology called ‘ShotSpotter’ that is equipped to do just that.
“It’s a system where audio-gathering devices are placed strategically throughout the city,” shared Glendale Police Officer Moroni Mendez. “They record gunshots and then there’s people over at the headquarters that sort through those audio recordings and then they’re the ones that determine whether something is a firework, a car backfiring, or actual gunfire.”
During a 24-hour window between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the department shared that their ShotSpotter system alerted 73 reports of shots fired in the city, and nearly 3,700 reports that sounded like gunfire, but were detected by the technology to be other sounds.
Officer Mendez said the department has been utilizing this high-tech system for years and it makes a difference for cops patrolling the streets, especially on busy nights.
“Getting a notification on my department-issued cell phone, I look it up and it shows me the address the exact location where the shots took place,” shared Mendez. “One of my cases was in the front yard — someone discharged 2-3 shots. When I get there before the radio has even put it out, I see the people out there and I see the casings on the ground. We’re able to grab them after a short foot chase and prosecute them appropriately.”
