Gun Surveillance Tech Has High Failure Rate, NYC Audit Finds (1)

New York City relies on gunshot detection technology that rarely works and regularly dispatches police to locations where no shooting occurred, a city comptroller’s audit found, suggesting the tool wastes officer time.

The New York City Police Department has employed SoundThinking Inc.’s ShotSpotter system, which uses microphones and audio software in an attempt to detect the sound of gunshots in neighborhoods, for nearly a decade. Its latest contract with SoundThinking is worth $22 million over three years and set to expire in December. When a sound triggers the system, ShotSpotter alerts the police department, and officers are dispatched to ...