Detroit Police Chief Wants Gunshot Sensors
DETROIT (WWJ) - In some Detroit neighborhoods, the sound of gunfire is all too familiar. Police Chief Ralph Godbee says a new gunshot "detection" system can pinpoint the location of the gunshot and transmit that information back to officers.
Chief Godbee told City Council on Tuesday that the system can help police get guns off the streets.
"Quite frankly, we don't get reported all the gunshots that happen because now it has become part of the city culture and expectation that you go to sleep with gunshots," said Godbee. "This is an opportunity for us to change that paradigm. That is not normal. It's not acceptable. It should not happen."
"This is a significant officer safety enhancement. It is significant community tool for reporting gunshots without putting citizens at jeopardy of making the same report," he said.
Dozens of U.S. cities already use the technology.
Godbee said the news system should be used in neighborhoods where most shootings occur. Under the Chief's proposal, a 14 square-mile section of the city would be outfitted with the technology.
Federal forfeiture dollars and grant money would cover the cost.
City Council must approve it first, but some members are worried about spending the money on a gunshot detection system without having more officers to respond to all the runs.
