ShotSpotter Pilot Program Goes Live December 15th In Durham

Durham, NC – The Durham Police Department (DPD) announces that the ShotSpotter pilot program is scheduled to go live on December 15th. Since the ShotSpotter pilot program was approved in the City of Durham’s fiscal year 2022-23 budget, the Durham Police Department has been committed to transparency throughout the process. We have held several community meetings and launched a ShotSpotter page on the DPD website.  This website will be the main source of information for ShotSpotter updates. The Durham Police Department is dedicated to finding innovative technology in order to make the City of Durham a safe place.

In response to an increase in violent crime within the City of Durham, Durham City Council approved the ShotSpotter pilot program as part of the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget. The pilot program will run for 12 continuous months with the first 3 months being free to the City of Durham. The remaining 9 months will cost $197,500. The Durham Police Department has been designated as the lead agency for design, implementation, and evaluation.

Watch DPD’S ShotSpotter PSA: 

On Tuesday, August 16, members of the Durham Police Department’s ShotSpotter Project Team traveled to Winston-Salem where they met with members of the Winston-Salem Police Department to learn more about that city’s implementation of the system. DPD personnel was able to see first-hand how ShotSpotter’s software integrates with CAD dispatch software, learn how officers are notified of and respond to ShotSpotter activations, how data is tracked, and ask other questions about how the Winston-Salem Police Department has utilized the technology.

ShotSpotter representatives held training sessions Sept. 26 – 27 for members of the Durham Police Department and the Durham Emergency Communications Center. These “train the trainer” sessions were held at Durham Police Headquarters allowing participants to be able to familiarize themselves with the technology and how it will be used. The information learned was then used to instruct other members of the department.