The technology for detecting shots of Shotspotter, used in many cities of the United States, turned out to be extremely inaccurate, which leads to increased observation of areas with mainly representatives of minorities, but does not help reduce crime. Такие данные опубликованы в отчёте организации Brooklyn Defender Services.
Analysis is based on 62,000 notifications of the Shotspoter system processed by the New York police in nine years, starting in 2015. Only in 16% of cases it is confirmed that the system really recorded shots. The report indicates that confirmation is made through citizens’ messages, records from surveillance cameras, damage to property, as well as detected cartridges, traces of bullets or injured.
The effectiveness of the system remains extremely low. According to the data, the seizure of weapons occurred only in 0.8% of cases, and arrests for illegal actions were 0.7%. Despite this, the technology continues to be used, although such indicators are in doubt about its justification.
The report also emphasizes that the SHOTSPOTER system is disproportionately involved in areas with a predominantly African American population, where police officers are headed 3.5 times more likely than to other areas of the city.
The SHOTSPOTTER system has repeatedly been criticized for inaccurate operations, which are caused, for example, fireworks or other loud sounds. On Independence Day, the number of false alerts increases by more than 200%, and on New Year’s Eve – by 175%.
NYPD spent about $ 45 million, as well as significant funds, including hundreds of thousands of dollars, to send employees to the areas after receiving notifications. Each check takes an average of nine hours of police officers.
In September, Chicago refused to use Shotspotter, a system working on the basis of artificial intelligence algorithms and a microphone network to detect shots. The solution was associated with frequent false works and low accuracy of the technology. However, many large cities continue to apply the system, despite studies confirming its unreliability and risk of increased control in poor and vulnerable areas.
The NyPD official statement says that the system remains the “integral part” of their strategy for combating violence with the use of weapons. However, the report by Brooklyn Defender Services calls it a “unreliable informant”, the data of which are used to justify checks without proper legal grounds. This, according to the authors of the report, increases the risk of escalation of conflicts in the field and poses a threat of unfair treatment.