IMPD rolls out next phase of its gunshot detection system

INDIANAPOLIS — IMPD says its gunshot detection system is helping officers respond to crime faster.

The technology is designed to find the exact location where shots are fired and immediately alert law enforcement through an officer’s laptop.

“We need all the protection that we can get – and this neighborhood would be a great place,” Percy Miller, Indianapolis resident, said.

The pilot program focuses on a three square mile radius on the city’s east side.

Over the next nine weeks, officers will be actively responding to alerts from a gunshot detection sensor. There will be three phases and each phase is three weeks long.

The first three weeks, Phase III, will be dedicated to the Flock detection vendor. Weeks four through six, Phase IV, will be dedicated to the ShotSpotter notification and the last three weeks, Phase V, will be focused on J&M Security notifications.

After those nine weeks, there will be a week of analysis to see if the city will continue using gunshot detectors.

Percy Miller and Antonio Cook have lived on Indy’s east side for their entire life. The two say they are no stranger to gun violence and how it can have an impact on someone’s life.

Cook says he was shot twice nearly nine months ago.

“Stay safe – if you see something that looks funny, it probably is,” Cook said.

The two says that they will welcome the department’s gunshot detection system.

“I think this should have happened a long time ago. [It could] at least gets you in the neighborhood or where the shot came from – you never know, it might get somebody leaving that did it,” Miller said.

IMPD says at the end of the program, IMPD officials will evaluate these devices to see if they improve officer response time to shots fired incidents, if they alert IMPD to unreported shots fired incidents and if they assist with evidence collection.

IMPD says that gunshot detection systems do not replace the need for residents to report all shooting incidents by calling 911.

"This technology enhances IMPD’s ability to use the information provided by our community to narrow the focus of uniform response and investigative follow-up," IMPD said in a news release.