SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Springfield is greenlighting hundreds of thousands of dollars in city, and grant money, to expand the police department's ShotSpotter program.
The technology, from the company Soundthinking Inc. can alert police immediately when someone fires a gun.
"It triangulates exactly where the gunfire took place. Our officers are able to respond directly to that area and a majority of the time actually find evidence—shell casings—and that only leads to the beginning step of the investigation," Chief Ken Scarlette, of the Springfield Police Department, told WAND News.
Springfield Police said the tool has been crucial, even in the past few months, giving officers leads in shooting investigations.
"Took our officers specifically to a crime scene and because of the investigative prowess of those officers, they were able to investigate and ultimately solve, and place an individual under arrest, for firing a firearm within our community," Chief Scarlette explained.
But this technology is pricey, almost $300,000 a year for the subscription, which covers just over four square miles of the city. Chief Scarlette said the price tag is worth it to keep neighbors safe.
"To me that's a very powerful tool that's important for Springfield citizens to keep them safe. It's also important to our officers keep our officers safe. There's an officer safety component," Chief Scarlette added.
This year, Springfield Police will spend $150,000—as part of a grant—to expand ShotSpotter over another 2 miles. But the money will only cover the subscription for one year.
"The funding through Senator Turner's office will fund the technology for the next year, and then essentially it will be up to the council to decide how much money they want to allocate for the program," Chief Scarlette said.
Springfield City Council approved the first reading of the contract, which would pay for a three year contract extension, through May of 2026, with ShotSpotter. Council must still vote to finalize the more than $870,000 contract. If council approves the expanded program for the remaining two years of the contract, it would cost the city over $1 million for the three-year subscription.
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