Cool
Rochester, NY is getting some pretty cool technology called Shot Spotter:
Rochester will become the first city in the Northeast to use a new technology called “shot spotter.”
Police install audio sensors on the tops of buildings which pick up the sound of gunfire and instantly send the information to police dispatchers.
Officers expect shot spotter to help them find the scene of a shooting very quickly.
That’s pretty neat. Yeah, some gun types might complain about it but, even if you use a gun justifiably in self defense, you should want the police on their way. If nothing else, they can probably recommend someone who’s good at getting blood out of the carpet.
December 15th, 2004 at 3:15 pm
Chicago has had this for a little while. in some of the more criminal areas there are towers with domes that constantly blink like “blue lights” with “shot spotters” and maybe even cameras, im not sure.
December 15th, 2004 at 10:05 pm
Is There A Home Version?
If so, I would want it programmed to dial my attorney, then the cops….
December 15th, 2004 at 10:28 pm
Question though, how accurate is this system if it’s picking up sound? Would all extremely high volume/short duration sounds set it off? Like, say… some of the varied sounds of construction?
December 16th, 2004 at 4:10 am
Fox, you’re correct to question the accuracy of this system. It could have a huge inaccuracy built in due to the laws of thermodynamics. Sound travels differently depending on the temperature and the wavelength of the sound, and several other things like the density of the atmosphere, the wind direction and the humidity.
What might be a gunshot sound in 80 degree damp weather could be something else when the temp is 20 and dry. Does the system have the huge algorithyms to factor in all these variables?
I recall that both England and Germany tried to lay antiaircraft guns by focussing very powerful sound detection gear in WW2, but the equipment gave no more than a best-guess as to where the aircraft were and what their altitude might be.
This technology could work better with lots of receivers, so that 10 receivers would hear a gunshot instead of just 2 or three. There is a danger with it all though: that the equipment might begin to pick up private conversations. That’s illegal to do without a warrant and probable cause to believe that a crime has taken place.
I’m surprised that Chi-Town, with it’s fertile fields of liberal lawyers, hasn’t shut this system down by now.
December 16th, 2004 at 11:56 am
If they put one in East LA, the flashing blue lights will get shot off.