SITUATION
In 2025, the Municipality of Niterói took a major step forward in modernizing its public safety operations by fully integrating ShotSpotter® gunshot detection technology into its intelligence-led policing strategy. As part of its commitment to evidence-based public safety, Niterói’s Municipal Intelligence Office produced its first annual consolidated analysis of firearm discharge data captured by ShotSpotter.
RESULTS
By analyzing firearm discharges by day and time, Niterói’s Municipal Intelligence Office identified clear, recurring patterns that support proactive public safety planning. Data indicated that incidents increased toward the end of the week, peaking on Fridays and weekends, with more than 83% of confirmed discharges occurring at night or in the early morning. These predictable trends enabled leadership to align staffing, patrols, and preventive presence with higher-risk periods, shifting from reactive response to intelligence-led operations.
314
firearm discharge events
96.8%
confirmed discharges
83%
of all confirmed discharges occurred during low visibility periods
Integrated with the city’s Public Safety Center (CISP), municipal logs, and state indicators, ShotSpotter data created a shared operational view of the territory. Spatial analysis, including heatmaps and recurring clusters, showed that firearm violence followed structural patterns, allowing teams to focus sustained attention on persistent risk areas.
The result: clearer situational awareness, stronger territorial intelligence, and a reliable foundation for proactive, life-preserving decision-making. By embedding ShotSpotter data into planning, operations, and performance review, Niterói strengthened its ability to anticipate critical scenarios, deploy resources more effectively, and support modern, evidence-led public safety.
