Congressman Cleaver Announces Shotspotter Coming to Kansas City

Press Release

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D --MO) and other Kansas City, MO officials today announced that the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) will be implementing the ShotSpotter Flex℠ gunshot location, alert and analysis solution. This is an effort to support Kansas City's proactive policing strategies and deployments, in its ongoing commitment to improve the safety, security and quality of life for its residents by ridding the city of gun crime and gun violence. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), was the lead agency in the planning and procurement of the ShotSpotter service for the KCPD. ShotSpotter Flex is developed by SST, Inc., the world leader in wide-area acoustic surveillance and gunfire detection technology.

"Securing the funding to make this possible for Kansas City has been a long-term effort and a long time coming," said Congressman Cleaver, II. "I am thrilled the day has finally arrived. My hope is this technology will help our excellent police officers get to victims more quickly, catch criminals more readily, and make our entire city a safer place to live."

The gunfire data and intelligence provided by ShotSpotter Flex will be critical in supporting KCPD's policing and enforcement efforts across all areas of their operations. Not only does it enable the KCPD to respond faster and more safely to gunfire incidents, but the solution also allows officers to proactively develop effective problem-oriented, data-drive policing strategies and tactical deployments.

"Speeches do not stop crime. Politicians do not stop crime. Determined and effective policing and prosecution, paired with the right tools, stop crime. Citizens standing up and saying, 'not in my neighborhood' stop crime. Today, criminals are looking at a united front," said Mayor Sly James. "The Department of Justice, our Congressman, our Chief, our Council, the Prosecutor, and every citizen on every block in our city are saying 'enough.' If you fire a gun in Kansas City, we will know and we will hunt you down. My thanks to Congressman Cleaver for finding the dollars to equip Chief Forte with a cutting edge tool that will make Kansas City safer."

Once implemented, KCPD will also be able to gather more detailed gunfire incident information and forensic evidence for investigations and analysis, resulting in increased prosecutions for gun-related crime, and the data will enhance crime analysis and predictive policing capabilities, leading to improved public safety and security.

"Congressman Cleaver is the catalyst for bringing this technology to Kansas City," said KCPD Chief Darryl Forte. "He identified a federal funding source, got those funds for ShotSpotter and was responsible for bringing KCATA and KCPD together. We would still be wishing for a system instead of preparing for installation of a system had he not taken the lead to bring this technology to Kansas City."

KCPD is undertaking a comprehensive approach to resolving crime issues, and has collaborated with various entities including the KCATA, City of Kansas City, community organizations and supporters, all working together to reduce gun violence and combat its negative impact to the community. KCPD is partnering with SST to deploy the technology in areas with high incidents of gunfire.

"We are honored to begin working with Chief Forte, the Kansas City Police Department and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to improve community safety, and having the support of federal, state and local officials is critical to our success in helping combat gun violence effectively." said Ralph A. Clark, President and CEO of SST. "Our work enables cities and communities to create comprehensive gun violence reduction programs, and technology and data are critical components. We are committed to providing the Kansas City Police Department the critical information and expertise needed to combat gun crime."

ShotSpotter Flex supports the development of effective intelligence-led policing strategies and tactical operations using real-time, actionable data and intelligence. ShotSpotter Flex will be delivered to KCPD in a hosted, subscription-based service making it more affordable, more easily deployed, and delivered without the extensive up-front costs, IT resources and expenses of a traditional technology acquisition.

"This is a true partnership of people acting together to bring cutting edge technology to the fight against violent crime," said Board of Police Commissioners President Pat McInerney. "It shows how important the fight is to Congressman Cleaver, the Mayor, city officials, the police department and ATA, who, with unique vision, found a way to serve and protect our citizens in the City's core."

ShotSpotter's use in Kansas City is possible because of a partnership between KCATA and the Kansas City Police Department.

"We believe this is the first deployment in the country of ShotSpotter through this type of partnership," said Mark Huffer, General Manager of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. "We are pleased to partner with the City of Kansas City and the KCPD to play a role in elevating the level of safety to the community, as well as to our customers and employees."

The solution also includes SST's Reviewed Alerts Service which provides immediate review and qualification of all gunfire incidents by gunshot and acoustic experts. Among the key benefits delivered by ShotSpotter are:

· Instant, Accurate Situational Awareness -- Precise gunfire incident information enables informed decisions for faster emergency response while also improving situational intelligence and increasing first responder safety.

· Enhanced Forensics Analysis & Crime Analysis-- Detailed forensic data and intelligence improves the investigative process leading to more thorough investigations and enhanced prosecutions for gun-related crime.

· Incident Expert Qualification -- A highly trained team of gunfire acoustic experts at the SST Operations Center review and qualify all incidents immediately and pass valuable, actionable gunfire incident data to 9-1-1 dispatch centers and mobile police units enabling accurate and reliable data.

· Long-Term Crime Deterrence -- Awareness of all gunfire incidents and cumulative data enables proactive crime analysis and strategic deterrence.

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