Chief, vendor outline ShotSpotter pilot; city will seek state grant for two-square-mile coverage

Summary

Police and vendor representatives described a proposed gunshot-detection pilot covering two hot-spot areas. The vendor said sensors provide vetted location alerts in 30–60 seconds; the vendor quoted $75,000 per square mile and a one‑year, two‑square‑mile pilot cost of about $380,000 under a state grant.

Santa Fe police and a vendor on Feb. 5 presented a planned gunshot-detection pilot intended to alert officers quickly to outdoor gunfire and to supply data for community outreach, evidence recovery and hospital or school‑based interventions.

Terry Green, Western director for SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter), described how rooftop or pole-mounted acoustic sensors detect impulsive sounds above roughly 110 decibels, the vendor’s vetting and alert process, and post‑detection analytics the company markets as “Data for Good.” Green said the vendor’s analysis of computer-aided dispatch and reports from January 2020 through June 2023 identified two roughly two‑square‑mile coverage areas that together accounted for about 43% of citywide calls in which a gun was used.

Pilot design and funding Chief Paul Joy and Director Julie Sanchez described the pilot as a one-year, data-driven test funded by a Department of Health grant the city will present for approval. Director Sanchez told the committee the city has set aside about $380,000 in grant funding to cover the two-square-mile pilot for one year.

Cost and deployment Terry Green…

Chief, vendor outline ShotSpotter pilot; city will seek state grant for two-square-mile coverage

Summary

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