ACTION REQUESTED:
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Communication from the City Manager and Chief of Police with a Request to APPROVE the Annual Subscription CONTRACT with SHOTSPOTTER, INC. (SST INC), for ShotSpotter Flex, a Gunfire Location, Alert, and Analysis Service.
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BACKGROUND: ShotSpotter technology is a part of the Police Departments strategy in reducing gun violence. The alerts provided by ShotSpotter initiates a response by our Officers shortly after the possible gunfire is detected. Our Officers have found gunshot victims, suspects, guns, shell casings, and witnesses due to the quick notifications from ShotSpotter and the timely responses by our Officers. Evidence collected allows our Officers to utilize other technologies and investigative tools like NIBIN. NIBIN allows us to match the shell casings found at one crime scene to another in instances where the same gun was used at multiple locations. This allows our Officers to link suspects and/or groups to other crime scenes and shooting incidents. The protocol of taking casings located on ShotSpotter alerts and entering them into NIBIN was essential in a several month Federal investigation. Members of the Peoria Police Department partnered with members from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and conducted a long-term investigation on one of Peoria's most violent street gangs, the Bomb Squad. After a two-month trial, all 13 defendants were found guilty on Federal RICO charges as well as other firearms and narcotics charges. Without ShotSpotter, parts of this case would have been much more difficult to prove.
ShotSpotter technology is utilized in two areas of the City. The total coverage area is 6 square miles. There are 2 coverage areas of 3 square miles each, Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 is located in southwest Peoria (portions of council districts 1 and 2), implemented in 2013. Phase 2 is located in Central Peoria (portions of council districts 1,...
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