Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Shotspotter topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OPCR finds ShotSpotter detects shootings reliably and often speeds police response
Summary
An Office of Police Conduct Review evaluation found ShotSpotter activations in Minneapolis generally matched 911 evidence-collection rates and frequently alerted officers faster than 911 calls, while OPCR said data limitations prevent strong conclusions about racial disparities and called for continued analysis.
The Office of Police Conduct Review told the Community Commission on Police Oversight that ShotSpotter activations generally detect gunfire and often produce faster police response than 911 calls.
"ShotSpotter really is a broadly effective tool in terms of evidence collection," Associate Director Russell Fujisawa told commissioners during an Aug. 3 presentation. OPCR’s four‑phase evaluation — including body‑worn camera reviews and an analysis of computer‑aided dispatch records — found that in the sampled cases ShotSpotter and 911 calls produced similar evidence‑collection rates and that 79% of ShotSpotter activations in qualified shootings alerted police sooner than corresponding 911 calls.
OPCR said the study also identified five activations in the sample that had no subsequent 911 call, meaning the sensors alone revealed shootings city systems would otherwise not have recorded. Fujisawa cautioned that part of the data limits derives from how dispatch records are coded and from having only recent calls and older census tract data available for demographic analysis.
On racial disparity, OPCR said the office could not conclusively link sensor placement to discriminatory intent given historic rollout patterns and data constraints, but noted a correlation between higher Black population census tracts and ShotSpotter coverage in 2023 and suggested the city review sensor alignment going forward.
Commissioners pressed OPCR about operational outcomes, asking whether activations had led to injuries or to officers’ tactical escalations. Fujisawa offered to follow up in writing and said the BWC review did not show a pattern of stops, searches or detentions initiated solely by ShotSpotter activations in the sampled footage; officers did not exit their vehicles in roughly two‑thirds of those responses.
OPCR recommended continued review with larger samples and improved data pairing between ShotSpotter activations and dispatch records to answer remaining questions about casualty outcomes and long‑term impacts.
