Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Implements SST, Inc.’s ShotSpotter Flex℠ Gunfire Alert & Analysis Service to Enhance Public Safety Response, Crime Intelligence and Community Policing Initiatives

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H E Hill Foundation, Inc. Helps Fund Implementation of ShotSpotter®, Helping Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Leverage Gunfire Data and Strategic Policing Initiatives to Curb Gun Violence

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), H E Hill Foundation, Inc., the City of Belle Glade, Palm Beach County and SST Inc., the world leader in gunshot detection and location services and technology, announced that PBSO 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 and visitors by curbing gun crime and gun violence. Bringing ShotSpotter to Palm Beach County was a strategic investment in advanced public safety technologies and services, and the H.E. Hill Foundation was instrumental in contributing the funding for ShotSpotter.

The gunfire data and intelligence provided by ShotSpotter Flex is critical in supporting PBSO’s policing and enforcement efforts across all areas of its operations, and helps its community-oriented policing practices. Not only does it enable PBSO to respond faster and more safely to gunfire incidents, but ShotSpotter also allows the Sheriff’s Office to proactively develop effective problem-oriented, data-driven policing strategies and tactical deployments. PBSO also uses the precise and detailed gunfire incident information, previously unavailable from 9-1-1 callers, as forensic evidence for analysis and investigations, resulting in improved results such as increased crime gun confiscations, arrests and prosecutions, and long-term 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 Colonel James Stormes, Law Enforcement & Community Operations, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

“Having this new gunfire data and situational intelligence helps improve our key mission – to protect the public’s safety and quality of live in Palm Beach County. H E Hill Foundation’s commitment to the community and its support of PBSO’s efforts to reduce gun violence and illegal gun use in the County will be strengthened through our use of ShotSpotter,” said Stormes.

“We’re thrilled the H E Hill Foundation can help PBSO use the ShotSpotter service to help in their efforts to protect the citizens of Belle Glade from gun violence,” said Jennifer R. Earnest, Vice President, H E Hill Foundation. “This was a collaborative initiative among our foundation and key public safety and county entities to improve and maintain safe and secure neighborhoods in our county. We’re proud to have helped in this effort, and strive to support quality of life in our community.”

“We’re committed to our partnership with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the county and community leadership in creating a safer place for everyone to live and work,” said Ralph A. Clark, President and CEO of SST. “It takes collaboration and comprehensive efforts to truly address gun violence in communities, and law enforcement needs not only the accurate and actionable gunfire data that ShotSpotter provides, but also the involvement and support of community organizations and residents.”

ShotSpotter Flex supports the development of effective problem-oriented, data-driven policing strategies and tactical operations using the real-time gunfire data. Among the key benefits 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 Incident Review Center 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 information.
  • Long-Term Crime Deterrence – Awareness of all gunfire incidents and cumulative data enables proactive crime analysis and strategic deterrence.

About Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, commonly known by the acronym PBSO, is the largest law enforcement agency in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Department has more than 4,000 employees and 4,300 volunteers. Located in Eastern Florida, Palm Beach County is the second largest county in area in the state covering 1,977 square miles, and as of 2012, its base population was 1.33 million, making it the third largest county in Florida. Belle Glade covers almost five square miles and has a population of almost 18,000 residents.

About H E Hill Foundation, Inc.

Founded by Dr. Howard E. Hill, the foundation dedicates its efforts to helping individuals who are classified as gainfully employed and have middle to low incomes in Western Palm Beach, Hendry and Glades Counties, obtain affordable housing. While the primary purpose of the foundation is geared toward housing, the foundation recognizes that a strong community supports the residents within it. It strives to collaborate with other entities to support growth and quality of life in its communities.

About SST, Inc.

SST, Inc. consults and partners with local and federal law enforcement agencies in the US and abroad to reduce gunfire violence through the use of its gunfire alert and analysis solutions. SST’s ShotSpotter Flex℠ is the leading gunfire alert and analysis solution for detecting gunfire 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 possesses multiple 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.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
lbarrett@shotspotter.com
or
H E Hill Foundation, Inc.
Barbara Alston, President
b.alston@hehill.org

Source: SST, Inc.

Released October 7, 2013