New Haven, Atlantic City and San Francisco Among Top Five U.S. Cities With Highest Decline in Gunfire From 2014 to 2015 According to SST National Gunfire Index

Northeast Tops the Nation With Biggest Decrease in Gunfire (-27.1%), Followed by the West (-22%)

NEWARK, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/02/16 -- Gunfire incidents declined by a median of 12.8 percent in 2015 in key U.S. cities across the country -- particularly in the northeast and west -- according to the National Gunfire Index released today by SST, Inc. the global leader in gunfire detection and location technology. Among U.S. cities using SST's ShotSpotter technology, three of the top five with the largest reduction in gunfire incidents from 2014 to 2015 were: New Haven, Conn. (-38.5 percent), Atlantic City, NJ (-35.4 percent), and San Francisco, CA (-34.6 percent). Overall, the cities in the Northeast region saw a 27.1 percent decline and those in the West experienced a 22.0 percent drop in gunfire incidents over the same time period.

The annual ShotSpotter 2015 National Gunfire Index is based on data from a statistical sample of U.S. cities using ShotSpotter that had full year deployments in both 2014 and 2015. The year-over-year comparisons of 46 cities had a total coverage of 172.9 square miles and a median coverage area of 3.1 square miles. The median reduction in the rate of gunfire incidents in those cities was 12.8 percent. Thirty-six of the 46 cities saw a decline with a median decrease of 20.1 percent.

Key Findings:

SST's National Gunfire Index delivers objective urban gunfire incident data that clearly demonstrates that gun violence in the U.S. is much greater than that which is typically measured in terms of homicides and non-fatal shootings alone.

  • Total number of gunfire incidents in 2015 National Gunfire Index is 54,699.
  • December 25, Christmas Day, was the most intense single day of gunfire incidents (excluding New Years Eve and Fourth of July) in 2015 with 266 incidents nationwide.
  • The single busiest hour for gunfire activity during 2015 was Sunday, November 1 between 11:00 PM and midnight, when one city had 24 gunfire incidents.
  • The most active day and hour of the week for all cities during 2015 was Saturday at 2:00 am.
  • The Midwest had the highest rate of gunfire, with an average of 351.9 gunfire incidents per square mile during 2015, while the lowest rate was in the Northeast with 73.7 incidents per square mile.
  • Rounds per incident were up in all regions from a median of 3.5 in 2014 to 3.8 in 2015.
  • In 2015, 29 percent of cities experienced five or more rounds of gunfire per incident, and 10 percent logged nine or more rounds per incident.
  • There were 144.7 incidents per square mile in 2014 compared with 123.2 incidents per square mile in 2015.
  • The top five cities with a decline in the 2015 National Gunfire Index also include New York cities Huntington Station (-50.2 percent) and Brentwood (-37.4 percent).

In the ten cities that saw an increase, three of those cities had slight increases of less than 2.5 percent; four cities experienced a "dead cat bounce" increase (where they saw significant decreases in the previous year's gunfire index and this year saw an increase although still below their 2013 levels) and the remaining three cities saw increases which can be attributed to an uptick in local crime and in one case the non use of ShotSpotter.

Proven Success:

"ShotSpotter is a proven gun violence detection tool as well as an objective thermometer measuring urban gunfire in cities across the United States, from New York City to Sacramento. Our unique platform provides data that demonstrates the positive outcomes cities experience when leveraging ShotSpotter as part of a comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy," said SST President and CEO Ralph A. Clark. "We believe this data can help shape policy conversations, but also highlights what can be accomplished when law enforcement combines people; process and technology to better connect to and protect those communities challenged with gun violence."

"In San Francisco our focus has been on reducing gun violence and it appears that our efforts and community partnerships are having the desired effect," said San Francisco Police Chief Suhr. "While there is no level of gun violence that is acceptable; with that said, we are headed in the right direction and we credit ShotSpotter with helping us achieve this."

"We are tremendous believers in the ShotSpotter technology and look forward to expanding its use across New Haven," said New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp. "From 2011 to 2015, homicides are down 55 percent and non-fatal shootings are down 52 percent. When we first started using ShotSpotter we would never have imagined numbers like these, and while there are many reasons for these positive trends, ShotSpotter is an important part of the overall approach, enabling us to apply breakthrough technology to try and save lives and reduce crime in New Haven."

"With ShotSpotter technology, our officers now respond faster to the scene and have been able to find victims and evidence quickly. ShotSpotter is also an important tool that helps with improved community action and engagement, and all of this has helped us to achieve a 35.4 percent decrease in gunfire violence from 2014 to 2015 across the city," said Atlantic City Police Chief Henry White. "Our goal is to do everything we can to catch the people who commit gun violence, and ShotSpotter is helping us do that."

About the 2015 National Gunfire Index
An eBook of the full analysis is available for download here:
www.shotspotter.com/2016NGI

About ShotSpotter
ShotSpotter Flex helps local law enforcement agencies detect gunfire accurately, protect officers with increased tactical awareness, and connect the police to the community while also connecting police to their mission to serve and protect. With the precise location of illegal gunfire incidents, first responders can more quickly aid victims, collect evidence, and identify, investigate and ultimately apprehend armed, dangerous serial shooters.

About SST, Inc.
SST, Inc. is the global leader in gunfire detection 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. SST's ShotSpotter SiteSecure provides critical indoor/outdoor infrastructure protection against active shooter attacks. The company's deep domain experience of twenty years, intellectual property including 33 issued patents, along with cumulative agency best practice experience, enables 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's collective inspiration is sourced from our founder's core belief that the highest and best use of technology is when it can serve a public good. Details can be found at www.ShotSpotter.com. Details about our U.S. and foreign patents can be found at http://www.ShotSpotter.com/patents.

Media Contact:
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Source: ShotSpotter