Kansas City, MO Police Department Implements SST, Inc.’s ShotSpotter Flex℠ Gunfire Alert & Analysis Service to Enhance Public Safety Response & Crime Intelligence

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Kansas City Area Transportation Authority Supports Kansas City Police Department in Leveraging Gun Crime Data and Strategic Policing Initiatives to Reduce Gun Violence in its Communities

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and Kansas City, MO Police Department (KCPD) and SST Inc., the world leader in wide-area acoustic surveillance, and gunshot detection and location technology, announced today that the Kansas City Police Department has implemented SST’s ShotSpotter Flex℠ solution to support its proactive policing strategies and deployments, in its ongoing commitment to improve the safety, security and quality of life for its residents by ridding the city of gun crime and gun violence. The ShotSpotter service will officially be live beginning October 1. Bringing ShotSpotter to Kansas City as a strategic investment in advanced public safety technologies and services was a joint effort by many entities throughout the Kansas City community. KCATA was the lead agency in coordinating and administering federal grants for the ShotSpotter Flex service, and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) was instrumental in securing the funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The gunfire data and intelligence provided by ShotSpotter Flex is critical to supporting the Kansas City Police Department’s policing and enforcement efforts across all areas of their operations, and in support of their community-oriented policing practices. Not only does it enable the Police Department to respond faster and more safely to gunfire incidents, but the solution also allows the police to proactively develop effective problem-oriented, data-driven policing strategies and tactical deployments. Additionally, the Kansas City Police Department will now be able to gather previously unavailable and detailed gunfire incident information in addition to forensic evidence for analysis and investigations, resulting in increased prosecutions and deterrence for gun-related crime.

“We remain committed to protecting the safety of our communities, and that means continuing to maintain and build our relationships with the residents, particularly in neighborhoods that are most challenged with gun violence issues and crime,” said Kansas City MO Police Chief Darryl Forte. “Having this new gunfire data and situational intelligence from SST enables us to respond safely and rapidly to gunfire incidents, and reinforce our city’s intolerance for illegal gun use and gun crime. Our ability to improve our work with better information and data underscores our key mission – to protect the public’s safety and quality of live in Kansas City. Our efforts to reduce gun violence and illegal gun use in Kansas City will be strengthened through our use of ShotSpotter.”

“We’re thrilled that Chief Forte and his team now have the ShotSpotter service to help in their efforts to protect the citizens of Kansas City from gun violence,” said Mark Huffer, General Manager of KCATA. “This was a collaborative initiative among key Kansas City entities and individuals, as well as KCATA, to improve and maintain safe and secure neighborhoods in our city. We’re proud to have helped in this effort.”

The Kansas City Police Department has undertaken a comprehensive approach to resolving crime issues, and has collaborated with various entities including KCATA, Congressman Cleaver, community organizations and supporters, all working together to reduce gun violence and combat its negative impact to the community. The Police Department is partnering with SST to deploy the technology in areas with high incidents of gunfire and high levels of transit ridership. All gunfire incidents detected by the ShotSpotter Flex system will be immediately reviewed and qualified by SST gunfire and acoustic experts and then immediately sent to Kansas City police dispatchers.

“We are extremely excited about our partnership with Chief Forte and the Kansas City Police Department and are looking forward to supporting their efforts in creating a safer Kansas City,” said Ralph A. Clark, President and CEO of SST. “Our unique technology enables cities to create effective gun violence reduction programs based on comprehensive and actionable gunfire incident data. However, the very best outcome is when local communities become more engaged in the process as they see the enhanced agency response now possible with our capabilities.”

ShotSpotter Flex supports the development of effective problem-oriented, data-driven policing strategies and tactical operations using the real-time, actionable intelligence. ShotSpotter Flex is delivered to the Kansas City Police Department in a hosted, subscription-based service making it more affordable, more easily deployed, and delivered without the extensive up-front costs, IT resources and expenses of a traditional technology acquisition. The solution also includes SST’s Reviewed Alerts Service which provides immediate review and qualification of all gunfire incidents by gunshot and acoustic experts. Among the key benefits delivered by ShotSpotter Flex are:

  • Instant, Accurate Situational Awareness – Precise gunfire incident information enables informed decisions for faster emergency response while also improving situational intelligence and increasing first responder safety.
  • Enhanced Forensics Analysis – Detailed forensic data and intelligence improves the investigative process leading to more thorough investigations and enhanced prosecutions for gun-related crime.
  • Incident Expert Qualification – A highly trained team of gunfire acoustic experts at the SST Operations Center review and qualify all incidents immediately and pass valuable, actionable gunfire incident data to 9-1-1 dispatch centers and mobile police units enabling accurate and reliable data.
  • Long-Term Crime Deterrence – Awareness of all gunfire incidents and cumulative data enables proactive crime analysis and strategic deterrence.

Located in eastern Missouri, Kansas City is the largest city in Missouri covering more than 318 square miles and has a population of 463,202 residents.

About SST, Inc.

SST, Inc. is the world leader in gunshot detection, and its ShotSpotter solutions are the leading gunfire alert and analysis solutions. Its public safety technology solutions are focused on improving public and community safety by locating gunfire and other explosive events, and ultimately, helping reduce and prevent gun violence and improving intelligence-led policing and community policing initiatives. SST solutions protect cities and countries around the world, with more than 80 installations in four countries and in more than 70 US cities. Privately held, the company possesses a multitude of patents that are the result of nearly two decades of innovation in the area of acoustic gunshot location technology. Information about SST and ShotSpotter can be found at www.sst-inc.com or www.shotspotter.com. You can also follow SST and ShotSpotter solutions on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SST, Inc.
Lydia Barrett, 650-833-9534
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
lbarrett@shotspotter.com

Source: SST, Inc.

Released September 27, 2012