Isn’t it true that by investing money into violence interruption and prevention instead, we can make a real difference in the violence and divestment our communities experience?

The notion that addressing gun violence requires choosing between technology tools and violence interruption and prevention is an alarming misconception. You need both.

Cities need ShotSpotter to know when and where criminal gunfire occurs so first responders can react quickly and render aid to victims as needed and save lives.

Further, investment in violence interruption is also recommended.

SoundThinking’s Data for Good Program, for example, helps law enforcement customers identify offices of violence prevention, schools, city and county public health departments and other community organizations that would receive gunfire data and analytics including heatmaps and dashboards. These tools indicate where gunfire and potential trauma may be occurring so the appropriate community resources can be deployed to offer immediate and lasting support and help address the core issues that drive crime.

Cities and community organizations that utilize SoundThinking technology and data to help prevent violence and deploy social, health and economic resources to their communities include:

• Miami-Dade County’s Walking One Stop;
• City of Springfield, IL; and
• Baltimore’s Office of Neighborhood Safety.

Comments are closed.