DENVER — A new public-private partnership announced Wednesday for Denver will bring the city’s gunfire detection system downtown, including LoDo and the area around Coors Field.
In conjunction with the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District and the Denver Police Department, city officials are bringing gunfire detection technology to the city’s fifth area. It is made possible with the Partnership’s financial support covering about half of the three-year contract.
The city also pointed to DPD’s new Ballpark Walk-the-Beat program, which will bring an increased police presence in the area. Also, in the Ballpark area, there will be changes to lighting, signage, alley conditions and building access issues meant to prevent crime through “environmental design.”
The announced gunshot detection system is a kind of network of acoustic sensors that detect the sound of a gunshot “precisely” and then quickly figures out the location of the gunfire. In less than a minute, ShotSpotter – also in place in cities across the nation – tells 911 dispatchers of the incidents, according to a news release from the city.
The city says the precise and timely information helps officers respond more quickly and therefore helps police catch the perpetrators. DPD has been using the technology since 2015 and said thanks to ShotSpotter, they’ve had 134 arrests and recovered 112 guns.
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