Congressman Cleaver and KCPD Chief Forte Announce ShotSpotter Success

Kansas City – Today Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II, and Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forte announced the first statistics on the new ShotSpotter crime-fighting system.

“My intention in securing funding for this program has always been to give law enforcement another tool in their arsenal against crime,” said U.S. Representative Cleaver. “I am pleased to know ShotSpotter is having such a profound impact on fighting crime, prosecuting cases, and building bridges of trust between officers and the community.”

The Kansas City Police Department has recovered more than a dozen weapons, drugs, hundreds of shell casings and more than a hundred live rounds as a direct result of ShotSpotter. In addition to those numbers, a victim in need of immediate medical care was quickly located, a suspect was apprehended, and numerous ancillary cases have been built on information from citizens, who are developing new relationships with officers now because of quick awareness and response to incidents of gunfire.

ShotSpotter is the world leader in wide-area acoustic surveillance and gunfire detection technology. The program was announced in Kansas City about a year ago.

Among the key benefits delivered by ShotSpotter:

• Instant, Accurate Situational Awareness – Precise gunfire incident information enables informed decisions for faster emergency response while also improving situational intelligence and increasing first responder safety.
• Enhanced Forensics Analysis & Crime Analysis– Detailed forensic data and intelligence improves the investigative process leading to more thorough investigations and enhanced prosecutions for gun-related crime.
• Incident Expert Qualification – A highly trained team of gunfire acoustic experts at the SST Operations Center review and qualify all incidents immediately and pass valuable, actionable gunfire incident data to 9-1-1 dispatch centers and mobile police units enabling accurate and reliable data.
• Long-Term Crime Deterrence – Awareness of all gunfire incidents and cumulative data enables proactive crime analysis and strategic deterrence.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and also serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.