San Pablo Police Department Solves Highway Shootings with the Help of ShotSpotter

The San Pablo Police Department (SPPD) uses SoundThinking’s ShotSpotter gunshot detection system in coordination with 270+ point-and-zoom public safety surveillance cameras around the city and license plate reading technology. One recent success of the integrated technologies was the arrest of a suspect who shot at a woman on I-80 after chasing her through the streets. Using ShotSpotter, PTZs and LPRs, police were able to quickly determine the car the shots were fired from, identify the suspect, and take him into custody.

In another incident, investigators were able to promptly identify the stretch of the I-80 where a man was shot and killed, despite no crime scene and very few witnesses. Within 24 hours of the shooting, the suspects involved were identified and arrested. “ShotSpotter provided the genesis of where our Detectives needed to start our investigation. Through ShotSpotter, we were able to retrace the steps of the victim and suspects using our collaboration of technology assets,” said San Pablo Police Captain Brian Bubar.

Most recently, officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert from within a local park during early morning hours. Subsequently two individuals were arrested in possession of a ghost gun in which they were firing for target practice. With no calls from the public, ShotSpotter was the only tool which guided officers to remove this dangerous weapon from the community.