National Gunfire Index Reveals 28.8 Percent Reduction in Gunfire in ShotSpotter®-Deployed Cities Nationwide from 2013 to 2014

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SST Reports 105 Incidents of Gunfire Per Day, 4.4 Incidents Every Hour in 2014

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gunfire is down significantly in 2014 compared to 2013, according to the National Gunfire Index™ just released today by SST, Inc., the global leader in gunfire detection, location, alerting and analysis. The median reduction in the rate of gunfire incidents was 28.8 percent in cities across the U.S. using ShotSpotter. Fall River, MA, saw the largest decrease with an almost 58% reduction in gunshot incidents. The report (http://www.shotspotter.com/2015NGI) aggregates and analyzes gunfire activity from 215 square miles across the country.

The 2014 Summary was based on SST collected and analyzed gunfire data from a statistical sample of 47 American cities. The year over year comparisons were based on 28 cities that used ShotSpotter Flex for both 2013 and 2014; they had a median coverage area of 3.04 square miles.

KEY FINDINGS

SST’s National Gunfire Index delivers insights into urban gun violence, including that gunfire in the U.S. is much greater than that which is measured in terms of homicides alone.

  • In 2014 there were 33,975 separate gunfire incidents in the 47 cities measured.
  • That translates to 105 gunfire incidents per day, or 4.4 incidents every hour — just in ShotSpotter-protected areas of the 47 cities.
  • In comparison, more than 11,000 homicides were committed with a firearm each year across the entire United States of America — 30 per day, or 1.3 homicides every single hour.
  • Rates of gunfire varied by geographical region; from a minimum of 32 incidents per square mile, a median of 150 incidents per square mile, to a high of 697 incidents per square mile.

A second key finding from the analysis shows that cities using gunfire detection technology are experiencing significant and measurable success as part of an overall smart policing strategy in their communities. SST compared a representative sample of twenty-eight cities where ShotSpotter Flex was deployed during both years. That enabled SST to compare 2013 and 2014 data from the exact same geographical areas. Year-on-year, we found that:

  • The median reduction in gunfire rates was 28.8 percent.
  • The greatest reduction in gunfire rate was 57.4 percent in Fall River, MA.
  • 93 percent, or 26 of the 28 cities where ShotSpotter was deployed both years, saw a reduction in gunfire rates.
  • Confirmed gunshot incidents overall dropped from 23,683 to 19,443.

“We now have objective evidence about how much greater the scope and magnitude of gunfire in the U.S. is than what is traditionally measured only in terms of homicides and non-lethal shootings,” stated Ralph A. Clark, president and chief executive officer of SST, Inc. “Our goal in sharing the National Gunfire Index is to help inform the general public and professional law enforcement about the larger, ugly truth of gun violence in America. Although the statistics seem staggering, the good news is that the trends indicate that smart policing, community engagement and technology innovation can have a tremendous impact on reducing gunfire and strengthening communities.”

In addition to Fall River’s gunfire incidents declining 57.4 percent, the following cities experienced impressive reductions and are willing to share their successful approaches for gun violence reductions:

  • Springfield, MA - 51.2 %
  • Camden, NJ - 48.0 %
  • Plainfield, NJ - 39.8 %
  • East Palo Alto, CA - 29.1 %
  • Oakland, CA - 26.1 %

"We are extremely pleased with the dramatic decline in gunshots Fall River has seen over the last few years,” stated Mayor Sam Sutter of Fall River, MA. “While the 57.4% decrease in shootings since 2013 is substantial, there is still much more to do. I believe that we have the people, the strategy, and the tools – including ShotSpotter – to make our city even safer yet."

Further notable details from the National Gunfire Index include:

  • The most intense day for gunfire incidents in 2014 was October 25 (excluding holiday periods of July 4th and New Years Eve) with 226 incidents in total.
  • The single busiest hour for an individual community was November 14 at 1:00 am.
  • The most dangerous hour of the week in aggregate was Friday, 2:00 am to 3:00 am.
  • The worst month for any individual community was January with 60.6 incidents per square mile.

Index Methodology

ShotSpotter gunfire alert and analysis solutions are deployed in more than 90 cities across the globe. In this National Gunfire Index, the 2014 analysis is an aggregate of ShotSpotter data from 47 of those cities. The year over year comparison uses data from 28 communities that had consistent coverage in both years; at least 285 days of ShotSpotter coverage in 2013 and 2014 and had at least 50 gunfire incidents in 2013. The average coverage area for the cities was 3.4 square miles in 2013 and 3.5 square miles in 2014. Incidents during the holiday periods of New Years and Fourth of July were not counted in statistics because of the prevalence of celebratory gunfire during those periods.

This report can be found in its entirety at http://www.shotspotter.com/2015NGI.

We encourage the public to comment on this report on Twitter using #GunfireIndex.

About SST, Inc.

SST, Inc. is the global leader in gunfire detection and location technology providing the most trusted, scalable and reliable gunfire alert and analysis solutions available today. SST’s ShotSpotter Flex℠ is the leading gunfire alert and analysis solution for detecting gunshots and providing critical intelligence to give law enforcement agencies the detailed real-time data needed to investigate, analyze and prosecute gun related crimes. The company’s deep domain experience, along with cumulative agency best practice experience, delivers measurable outcomes that contribute to reducing gun violence. SST is a proven solution provider with more than 90 installations across the United States and the world. Privately held, the company holds numerous patents resulting from nearly two decades of innovation in the area of acoustic gunshot location technology. Information about SST and ShotSpotter can be found at www.ShotSpotter.com/.

The National Gunfire Index eBook can be downloaded here.

The National Gunfire Index printed book can be pre-ordered here.

SST, Inc.
Liz Einbinder,+1 (510) 794-3147
leinbinder@shotspotter.com

Source: SST, Inc.

Released March 31, 2015