Cape Council approves contract for gunfire detection

A detection system may soon improve police response to reports of gunfire in Cape Girardeau.

On Monday, Cape Girardeau City Council approved an agreement with ShotSpotter Inc. The company uses sensor technology to pinpoint the location of gunfire.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Wes Blair said the ShotSpotter system will help officers respond to reports of gunfire more effectively and efficiently.

"Often when gunfire is reported, our officers are provided with a general location to respond to," Blair said. "This technology will pinpoint the location within meters."

Quicker response times will increase the chance of officers arriving before a shooter flees a scene or witnesses have dispersed, according to Blair.

ShotSpotter sensors detect outdoor gunfire activity inside defined coverage areas and send information for review to ShotSpotter's review center.

The information is then analyzed to filter out sounds that are not gunfire. Incidents determined to be gunfire will be disseminated to Cape Girardeau 911 Communications Center and patrol officers' in-vehicle tablets.

From gunshot to dispatch, the process takes about 60 seconds, according to Blair.

In Cape Girardeau, ShotSpotter will service a 1.2-square-mile area. The proposed coverage was determined by analyzing gunfire in Cape Girardeau over the past few years.

In 2020, Cape Girardeau police responded to 498 reports of shots fired resulting in three murders and 48 people hit. Police received a total of 412 shots-fired calls in 2021. Eighteen people were hit and two incidents resulted in murders.

The area with the highest volume of shots-fired calls was selected for implementation, Blair said. It's proposed boundaries encompass an area south of Broadway, east of North/South West End Boulevard, north of Linden Street and west of the Mississippi River.

Other municipalities using ShotSpotter include Kansas City, Missouri; Jackson, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas.

"ShotSpotter is a great technology that a lot of places are using very effectively," Mayor Bob Fox said.

The council's approval will allow the city manager to enter into a three-year, $178,200 contract with ShotSpotter.

On Monday, the council had a first reading of an ordinance to appropriate the project's cost from American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Blair said the Cape Girardeau Police Department is fortunate the city has found a funding source for the project.

"The police department has been advocating for this technology for several years," Blair said. "With a decrease in police applicants across the nation, police departments have been tasked with leveraging technology to keep our communities safe."

Blair said he anticipated the technology will be up and running by summer.

Other action

• Appointed Darrin Bruenderman to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board with a 4-3 vote.
• Approved a motion to set a special City Council meeting for noon Feb. 14 to declare the results of the Feb. 8 primary election.
• The council heard a presentation from Red Letter Communications founder Jim Riley on seizing geospatial intelligence opportunities in Cape Girardeau. Riley said he intends to bring a three-year proposal to the council in March.