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beat cops and detectives.
In the meantime, consider some of the unique applications,
such as ShotSpotter returning such a quick confirmation of shots fired that the SDSC was able to access the POD camer- as in time to see shooters fleeing the scene. Thanksgiving was not the first time for such an occurrence in 011. Not even the hundredth time.
“Before, a call of shots fired might give us time to look around,” Menoni adds. “Now, we have specific information that takes us right to Jackson and Pulaski.”
On that specific call, officers were able to recover shell cas- ings and generate a ballistics report that tied them to a ho- micide in 015 and another in 025. Apparently, the level of in- telligence and pursuit the SDSC facilitates can be even more penetrating.
In the 11th District, the big problem is gang violence, but not just the gang-versus-gang stuff. One day, somebody might tell officers he’s with the Mafia Insane Vice Lords. The next, that same person could say he is with the Gangster Disciples. Load- ing data that comes from beat cops, detectives, intelligence of- ficers, Genetec and ShotSpotter into HunchLab enables learn- ing more about the individual, about the person driving the violence.
Look at this application another way: The POD cameras can take a frame down to the millisecond. And if a gang member or a vehicle caught in a shooting or a robbery in that frame shows up again, the system catches it. That up-to-the-minute infor- mation is sent out to cellphones in the beat cars.
“It’s not just looking for a gray Toyota,” Rodriguez assimi- lates. “Let’s look for this specific gray Toyota.”
One other example of the system support is worth noting.
“I have really noticed the tactical team members in here,” Rodriguez relates. “We have shown them how to recover video of interactions with individuals who are potentially involved in criminal activity. They can play back the clip and know to watch their backs if they interact with that person on one of the targeted pods. That’s pretty significant.”
So while thinking about how all of this leads to a faster jump on response, a succinct look at where conflict is occurring, re- taliation that might be likely to occur and, perhaps most im- portant, greater officer safety, Rodriguez offers a recap from his SDSC vantage point.
“Once it goes off and we get over the air, we can let them know where the shots are coming, if offenders are still in the area laying more rounds,” he reveals. “Officers can pinpoint more of an accurate crime scene: Was the shooter in the al- ley? Was it multiple shooters? Was it rapid-fire, high- capacity rounds? And it all helps officer safety. And that’s important. Es- pecially in this district.”
In every district.d
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