Colorado residents push for gunshot detection technology in their Aurora neighborhood
CBS 4 News
Residents in part of Aurora say they hear a lot of gunshots, but few sirens. They want the Colorado city to invest in the community's safety with technology that they believe will reduce violence.
The bangs and pops near Del Mar Park keep windows closed at night.
Neighbors like Serena Valverde count the bullets in bed.
"You can hear gunshots through the night, in the daytime, it's all the time," said Valverde. "It sounds like fireworks, but you know the difference. I know the difference because I've been shot."
ShotSpotter is gunshot detection technology that uses sensors to detect and alert law enforcement agencies. Audio recording devices work to pinpoint the location where the shot was fired and can notify police in less than a minute.
It's used in more than 140 cities around the country, including Denver.
More than 200 neighbors have signed a petition to bring ShotSpotter to Aurora. According to the petition: "Aurora residents are begging the Aurora Police Department to invest in our community's safety and implement tangible items that can help reduce gun violence, such as ShotSpotter."
Denver police began using the technology more than eight years ago. DPD says thousands of ShotSpotter alerts have led to hundreds of arrests and recovered guns.
In 2019, Denver Police notified APD about a shooting their ShotSpotter picked up near the city line.
APD has expressed interest in ShotSpotter in the past.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, APD's Agent Matthew Longshore writes: "While we don't have ShotSpotter at the moment, our agency continues to explore the option of utilizing such technology, or similar, to supplement and enhance our ability to effectively serve our community."
Aurora's public safety committee discusses ShotSpotter often. Committee chair Danielle Jurinsky says there are some concerns around its cost and accuracy.
"Accuracy is huge to me because we can't have the police running around town for balloons popping, tires blowing out, car backfires, etc." writes Jurinsky.
In 2022, Denver extended its contract with ShotSpotter for $4.7 million.
The technology isn't perfect, but an independent audit found ShotSpotter is 97% accurate.
Jurinsky says the committee is continuing to research different types of this technology.