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The Miami-Dade emergency fund will expand ShotSpotters

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The Miami-Dade emergency fund will expand ShotSpotters. The money that will be used to compensate for the release of an expanded guesthouse on Miami-Dade will now fund expansion into the ShotSpotters county program to show shots in high-frequency areas.

The commissioners last month directed the administration to expand coverage in the Northside and Southside police districts, both of which now have four square miles, and carry coverage to the Intercoastal District.

The total of 21.85 square miles covered - consisting of eight covered square miles plus 7.33 square miles more in the north, more 9.36 in the south and 1.16 added to the Intercoastal District - will cost $910,250 in the first year , according to a December 4th. report from Mayor Carlos Giménez.

The money to pay for expansion has not been identified by the commissioner when holding a December 18 discussion on the report of Commissioner Jean Monestime ordering details of plans to increase the scope of ShotSpotters in "areas of additional concern."

ShotSpotters uses acoustic sensors to detect and notify the police within 45 seconds of shooting and sending geolocation data - including the street address - to the officers' smart phones.
miami-dade emergency

Miami-Dade emergency

Other information provided by the system includes the right time for shooting, number of shots, shooter position, bullet speed and direction, and location pattern analysis.

Juan Perez, Miami-Dade police

Miami-Dade Police Chief, Juan Perez

The police department also works to buy number plate readers and "slue to cue" cameras, which when combined with ShotSpotters technology can create a "smart dome" that provides additional investigative tools, Mr. Giménez.

Commissioner Dennis Moss said he supported the expansion of the area covered by the location of the shot technology but had problems with no money being provided for it.

The day before, Mr. Moss issued a press release on the anniversary of the death of Carnell Williams-Thomas, a 2-year-old boy who was killed by stray bullets in his district, asking for information to bring those responsible to court.

Mr. Moss said he understood funds were limited, but if the district could subsidize police staff in public schools, it should be able to find funds to deal with gun violence in a "challenged environment."

"I want to make sure we can use such technology, to try and overcome it," he said.

Giménez said that he agreed and that his office and school district would hold "open discussions" after a vacation of one year, "no repeat money" was provided for schools, but did not offer a solution to fund the expansion of ShotSpotters.

Commissioner Joe Martinez did it.

"I don't believe we hold ourselves back because of $ 900,000," he said.

Mr. Martinez, a former Miami-Dade police officer, reminded Mr. Giménez and the commissioner about the money set aside to cover losses in guest house tax revenues are expected to come with an amendment to expand the house's exemption.

The item, placed on the November vote, has failed.

"So, where is the money?" He asked. "I will refresh your memory. [Amendments] should pass but not. I still don't know how it doesn't go away, [but] the government says they save money."

Jennifer Moon, director of management and regional budget, confirmed the $37 million in public funds was set aside for the initial purpose - more than enough to pay to expand ShotSpotters.

"As we said at the time of the budget, we will now be able to see the expansion of services," he said. "This is certainly something that is a priority for the district and the police that we can see."

County, he said, would need to use all but $9 million of extra money to compensate for the lost income when the franchise with Florida Power & Light expires in two years.

"But we can make targeted investments now because we have this income," he said.

The district must move quickly, Martinez said. Contracts with ShotSpotters, including discounts of $138,500 for three-year service agreements, expire on December 31.

"If there is one thing the government must do, it protects lives and property," he said. "Put money in it now."

However, the system's efficacy is still questionable, Commissioner Barbara Jordan said, citing an April 17 report he ordered indicating the ShotSpotters system - first introduced as a pilot in Miami-Dade in 2012, was stopped a year later and revived in 2016 - as of April 2018 has caused only 14 suspect suspects and 18 arrests.

The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, Juan Perez, when asked if he could confirm whether any of the arrests led to the sentence, said he was not sure.

"It may be too soon [to know], because violent crime requires time to close the cases," he said. "The system is quite new."

After more than three years of studying ShotSpotters, researchers Jillian Carr and Jennifer Doleac told the Cincinnati Inquirer in August 2017 that there is no evidence to show that ShotSpotters is effective in controlling gun violence.

On its website, ShotSpotters reports a 48% reduction in shooting casualties in Cincinnati since the system was installed, a 2.5-minute reduction in response time to crime scenes in San Diego and a 71% reduction in gunshots in Oakland between 2012 and 2017.

The company has not released its data for independent research.

"As long as people continue to sign contracts, it is not in their best interest to produce evidence," said Doleac, director of the Justice Technology Lab and research affiliation at the University of Chicago Crime Lab.

Ms Jordan said she was not satisfied with the information provided in the report to her and fellow commissioners, who would soon also consider spending millions of dollars to improve the ShotSpotters system.

"Do we get the benefits we expect?" He asked. "For me, the report must be far more comprehensive in what you provide."

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