Victorville approves three-year contract for ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology

The Victorville City Council voted 4-0 on May 6 to approve a three-year professional services agreement with SoundThinking Inc. to deploy ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology, authorizing up to $470,250 in supplemental law-enforcement funds for purchase and deployment.

City officials said the system will initially cover about 2.77 square miles concentrated in Old Town and the Brentwood/Hook area, where sheriff's dispatch data showed the highest number of reported shots-fired calls over the past five years. Deputy City Manager Tony Camargo told the council the department analyzed five years of local calls and that the proposed pilot areas reflect where reported incidents cluster.

“The initial data showed on average less than 20% of gunfire incidents are reported to 911 nationwide,” Camargo said in introducing the item, arguing technology could close a reporting gap.

Lieutenant Mark Bracco of the Victorville station described how ShotSpotter’s acoustic sensors and the company’s incident review center (IRC) route validated alerts to dispatchers and patrol officers, typically in seconds. Bracco said the system will allow deputies and fire personnel to know the approximate sequence and location of reported gunfire and play back a short audio excerpt used in field response and evidence collection.

Representatives from SoundThinking told the council the company’s IRC operates 24/7 and filters false positives (for example, fireworks) with machine learning and human review. A company representative said average processing times reported to customers run about 26–29 seconds from sensor activation to alert delivery.

Supporters on the council framed the purchase as a public-safety investment to shorten response time and improve evidence recovery. Councilmember Jones said the technology could boost prosecutions and public safety: “Anything I can do to get the message out there that if you’re here and your business is to commit crime, you can take your business somewhere else,” she said.

Councilmembers and staff said the department intends to make the deployment public as part of a broader transparency and crime-prevention strategy, and that sheriff deputies will receive training and the district attorney’s office will be briefed on the evidence package produced by the system.

The council vote recorded: Councilmember Irving — Yes; Councilmember Jones — Aye; Mayor Pro Tem Herriman — Yes; Mayor Becerra — Yes. Councilmember Godin was absent.