Independence has experienced an increase in gun related crime in the last several years. In an effort to combat this trend, the Police Department formed a gun squad within the investigations unit to focus strictly on gun crimes.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has also recognized the gun activity in Independence and has dedicated two federal agents to the Independence Police Department to assist in gun cases as well as dedicated a NIBIN machine, which identifies and connects shell casings and bullets to those recovered from other crime scenes in an effort to connect related crimes. The shot spotter technology is set up in a particular area within a city and can detect gun shots and through triangulation technology can pin point where a particular shot was fired from. Kansas City, Missouri utilizes shot spotter technology as do several cities throughout the United States. Cincinnati, Ohio is a city with 79 square miles and a population of approximately 290,000 compared to Independence with 76 square miles and a population of approximately 120,000. Cincinnati began utilizing the shot spotter technology in 2018 and observed a city wide reduction in shootings of 21% within the first year. Within the shot spotter area, Cincinnati saw a 40% reduction in gun violence.  

The inclusion of Shot Spotter technology would enhance the police department’s ability to effectively address gun violence within the city, however the annual cost to maintain this program would be a challenge.  The above listed price quote is based on a 4 square mile in the northwest quadrant of the city, in which data analysts from Shot Spotter indicated our greatest need for the technology was.   

This item would also fund the purchase of a Virtra De-Escalation Training Simulator. Police use of force and de-escalation training has been a national narrative for the last year due to incidents around the nation that have resulted in civil unrest. The training simulator can provide officers with realistic scenarios and provides them with instant feedback regarding their decision making.  The simulator could also be utilized as a community education tool to provide members of the community an opportunity to also participate in the simulator training. The opportunities could take place during citizen academies as well as special events such as open houses and other community meetings.