The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police will begin testing fire detection systems on the Middle East side of the city next month, the latest effort to combat the rise of violent crime in the Indiana capital.
Law enforcement officials say the technology, which identifies the location of the shooting and transmits information to police, will allow officers to better respond to incidents made by shots. The department began accepting information from potential suppliers earlier this month and plans to test the system within three months.
Successful technology, according to police, should be able to “recognize and identify specific types of shots” and locate shots with at least 90% success.
Those who will be selected to participate in the pilot will install detection systems in an area of almost 5 square miles on the east side of the city. The pilot area covers Massachusetts Avenue and East 21st Street in the north; Emerson Avenue in the east, East Washington Street in the south; and Northeast Street in the west.
Murder in Room 112:Problems plagued the nursing home, where the resident was raped and strangled
According to Indianapolis police, the area was chosen for a pilot event because it is “the city’s most notorious robbery, shooting and non-fatal murder in 2021.”
The move comes after the deadliest years of Indianapolis in history. After 245 murders were recorded in 2020, in 2021 the city set a new record – 271 murders.
The eastern area, where gunshot technology will be used, has been particularly hard hit by violence. In 2021, a shooting in the area killed 24 people, according to an analysis of IndyStar killings. By mid-August, nearly 18% of the city’s non-fatal shootings had taken place in an area of 5 square miles, IMPD officials said in a statement declaring the shots.
The violence has forced some neighborhood residents to isolate themselves and participate less in the community, according to Middle East president Chris Stoab.
Staab told IndyStar that he is looking forward to the pilot of shot detection technology in his area, where he said it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between fireworks and shots. Technology, he said, could increase police response time, which in turn could save lives.
“I can’t wait for that to happen,” Staab said of the technology installation. “If we could get rescuers to the scene faster, maybe we could reduce the homicide rate.”
Indiana Real Estate:Property owners in slums sweep homes when selling foreclosures. A new bill can stop them.
However, not everyone in the community supports the effort. Pastor David Cederquist, whose community church of Brookside is at the center of the pilot zone, said he was “not sure technology will become something that will stop the violence” in Indianapolis.
Cedarquist cited an ACLU report that partially argued that the introduction in Chicago of ShotSpotter, a leading shot detection system, had led to a number of unnecessary police runs. The report also says the technology has distorted fire detection statistics, detecting more incidents in areas where sensors are located, and creating “excuses for over-monitoring in colored communities.”
Cedarquist said he believes a more “human-centered approach” when people interact and build relationships with each other is more effective at identifying the root causes of violence.
“I think that the more we can be embedded in relationships and help people be part of the city, it will be the answer to crime prevention and violence in our area,” Pastor IndyStar said.
Financing the detection of shots
The gun technology will be funded by part of the $ 150 million from the Federal Rescue Plan of America, allocated to the three-year plan to combat violence in Indianapolis. About $ 33 million of that money to help COVID was allocated to IMPD, which uses $ 9 million to upgrade technology.
In January, police said improving technology would be part of their ongoing priorities in the fight against crime in 2022. They plan to add about 350 cameras and 350 license plate readers in “high crime areas” and along major roads across the city. This effort is already underway – the IMPD in December installed 10 plate readers in the city center.
In a statement last week, police said these cameras and plate readers would be installed along with shot detection systems in the eastern district to “ensure the use of appropriate crime and police prevention strategies.”
The city has considered detecting shots in the past and has previously consulted with ShotSpotter. Funding problems have halted these efforts – law enforcement officials told IndyStar that some gun technology could cost about $ 250,000, plus another $ 200,000 a year for maintenance to cover sensors in an area of 3 square miles.
Staab, president of the NGO Middle East, noted that gun technology is expensive, but said he was glad to see that the city would operate several different systems. “It’s just another tool in our toolkit,” Stoab said. “If it’s a life-saving tool, yes, I’m for it.”
The city’s request for information from suppliers ends on March 1. Those interested can learn more at www.indy.gov/workflow/find-bid-opportunities.
Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.