Sacramento police and sheriff's departments team up to expand use of ShotSpotter technology

The Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department are partnering to expand ShotSpotter technology to areas where their jurisdictional boundaries intertwine.

The acoustic technology can accurately locate a gunshot fired within a particular area and quickly direct officers to the location. The Sacramento Police Department began using ShotSpotter in 2015 in an effort to reduce violent crime.

A firearm produces a distinct "noise signature," which the system is able to distinguish from similar sounds such as firecrackers, bottle rockets and car backfires, according to news releases issued by the two departments..

The Police Department has identified an undisclosed three-square-mile area of East Sacramento for expanded service. The system was installed over the past few months and is now operational, according to the news release. The ShotSpotter expansion includes coverage of the Oak Park area.

In areas near the jurisdictional boundary line, both police and sheriff's officers often respond if there is a major call for service, the agencies noted.

If a gun is fired, multiple ShotSpotter sensors throughout the coverage area are triggered. The ShotSpotter Software Review Center analyzes the data and can pinpoint a location up to 25 feet, according to the news release. Dispatchers and officers in the field receive the information simultaneously. Dispatchers then work to coordinate officers responding to the area using either ShotSpotter software or the 911 system.

"Within minutes, officers arrive at precisely the right location, fully aware of the situation before they get there," the news release said.

This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 7:45 PM.