ShotSpotter responds to false and misleading claims by VICE

[ad_1]

NEWARK, Calif., July 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – ShotSpotter, Inc., a leader in precision policing technology solutions that enable law enforcement to more effectively respond, investigate and deter crime, responds below to the false and misleading claims that VICE published on July 26, 2021:

To the communities we serve:

Recently, VICE released outrageous allegations that create a false narrative about our technology, examination, and forensic process that undermine the important work ShotSpotter does every day to help fight the gun violence epidemic.

First, ShotSpotter’s forensic evidence is 100% reliable and completely based on facts and science. ShotSpotter has never altered the information in a detailed court-admissible forensic report based on the adjustment of a police story.

It is important to understand that there are two separate and equally important services provided by ShotSpotter regarding gunshot sounds. The first is to detect and report potential gunfire. These are real-time notifications that detect and alert the police in the event of a specific shooting incident. The goal is to quickly determine when and where gunfire occurred in a city coverage area and create a quick and accurate police response. This process is 97% accurate based on customer reports to the company for the years 2019 and 2020.

ShotSpotter is also available to provide a detailed forensic report that is prepared as courtroom evidence and for expert witness testimony. Unlike the detection and reporting service, the forensic service requires a detailed forensic analysis of the shots. It provides a more detailed analysis of the shots. For example, the immediate detection and reporting service may or may not report multiple shots, as forensic analysis would. Whether gunshots occur is important to the detection and reporting service, the number of shots may or may not be important to a trial. And it is for this reason that ShotSpotter offers the additional service.

The story continues

This additional service results in a court-admissible analysis of a shooting incident. Our expert forensic analysts spend an average of eight hours per incident compiling a court-admissible report using specialized tools other than alerts that are 100% accurate on shots fired, timing, sequence and time. ‘location of the shots fired, which they can testify to in court under oath.

ShotSpotter’s evidence and expert testimony has been successfully admitted in 190 court cases in 20 states. Evidence from ShotSpotter prevailed in ten successful Frye challenges and one successful Daubert challenge across the United States. Our data, compiled with our expert analysis, helps prosecutors pass convictions.

The detailed forensic report is never changed as it is a completely separate process from alerts. Forensic analysis may reveal additional information relating to a real-time alert, such as more shots fired or an updated time or location upon further investigation by forensic analysis. We respond to requests for further investigation of an incident for a forensic report only to provide facts that we can determine and not to match a predetermined narrative. It is about being diligent and providing the appropriate evidence and information in the evidence chain of custody and nothing more.

The idea that ShotSpotter tampers or fabricates evidence in any way is a scandalous lie and would constitute a criminal offense. We track facts and data for our forensic analysis. Period.

Second, ShotSpotter will not tolerate false characterizations of the two cases cited VICE

The VICE article falsely alleged that in the Williams case in Chicago, Ill., Prosecutors withdrew the evidence from ShotSpotter because it would not meet standards of scientific evidence because it had been altered. It’s wrong. No evidence provided by ShotSpotter has been altered. ShotSpotter forensic analysts assessed the incident to create a court-admissible forensic report.

The problem was this. The prosecutor’s theory was that the gunshot had taken place in the victim’s car. Once ShotSpotter learned of this theory, he approached the prosecutor and informed him that the evidence from ShotSpotter could not support this theory. ShotSpotter has long informed the public, prosecutors, and police that ShotSpotter cannot detect gunshots that occur in a car or building. In short, prosecutors’ theory of the case was inconsistent with the evidence. ShotSpotter informed the prosecutor. Far from a case of tampering with evidence, ShotSpotter informed the prosecutor that the evidence before him would not support the prosecutor’s theory.

Likewise, the article misinterprets the facts of another case. The article also wrongly and without justification alleged that ShotSpotter fabricated evidence or altered audio files in the Simmons case in Rochester, New York. The audio files that ShotSpotter recorded and used during the trial were secured and preserved using standard forensic procedures. Audio files submitted as evidence have been reviewed by our forensic analysts to create a court-admissible forensic report. They have never been modified by ShotSpotter. We are currently engaged in legal action and vigorously defend our position.

Third, the ShotSpotter system is very accurate at detecting outdoor gunfire and benefits communities battling gun violence.

The article falsely twisted the words of a ShotSpotter forensic expert to suggest that our accuracy rates are the product of our marketing or sales departments. Nothing could be further from the truth. In 2019 and 2020, the ShotSpotter system had a 97% real-time accuracy rate for all clients, a figure derived directly from police department reports. At the same time, ShotSpotter promises them a 90% accuracy rate in our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) because our customers expect and deserve a minimum accuracy rate. Our system has been tested to ensure that we correctly convey the effectiveness of our systems to our customers. Additionally, ShotSpotter rigorously trains and tests each individual reviewing real-time shooting incidents across the business to ensure they are performing at a level consistent with corporate quality goals.

The attempt to dismantle VICE is a sad distraction from the current problem: fighting gun violence to keep our communities safe. In recent weeks, shootings have escalated in many parts of the country, depriving us of American lives. ShotSpotter is a tool to help law enforcement stop this senseless violence and break the cycle of normalizing gun violence in our communities. We will not tolerate our company being slandered and will vigorously defend our work to make communities safer for all.

Media contact: Trident DMG Caroline Beckmann202-440-1783 [email protected]

[ad_2]