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Gunshot-detection and ALPR reports raise questions about effectiveness and outcomes
Summary
Board members pressed police staff for clearer outcome data after reviewing Raven gunshot-detection and ALPR reports that showed large numbers of alerts but relatively few confirmed incidents or recoveries; staff said Raven covers only part of the city and agreed to add case linkage to future reports.
Board members asked how usage metrics for Raven (gunshot-detection) and ALPR (automatic license-plate readers) translate into case outcomes.
On Raven, staff reported thousands of alerts over the year but noted a large share came from fireworks ("a lot of noise"). One member flagged 11,277 total Raven alerts including many firework alerts and questioned how the department confirms alerts: "We had 11,277 total alerts... 6,6975 of those total alerts were firework alerts," the member said, pushing staff to explain how officers treat firework noise versus likely gunshots. Staff said dispatch and policy limit alerts to single- and multiple-gunshot categories to reduce noise and that Raven covers about four square miles of the city's 49 square miles.
A board member requested more outcome data: how many Raven-linked responses resulted in arrests or case numbers. Staff said roughly 40 incidents have been connected to Raven alerts and that the crime analyst could add case numbers and outcome information to future reports, but compiling those details requires analyst time.
On ALPR, members noted a large number of hits (e.g., tens of thousands of alerts for license plates) with very few recoveries (report cited 72,705 alerts and 63 recoveries). Staff said response capacity limits and partner-agency inputs (hot lists from other agencies) can explain the difference between high alert counts and low recovery numbers: "Our ability to respond is limited by the calls for service that we have on the board and that is what we prioritize." Members asked for more context on hot-list sources and procedures for removing recovered vehicles from hot lists.
The board asked staff to return with clearer linking of alerts to investigative outcomes and recommended the crime analyst add case numbers (where available) for Raven-verified incidents.
