Listening in on crime

OLD-FASHIONED police work isn't getting the job done in Boston, where officers solved only about 4 percent of last year's 290 nonfatal shootings. That sad statistic alone is ample reason to explore new technology that might give some edge back to overpowered officers.

City Councilor Robert Consalvo of Hyde Park is championing a sophisticated acoustic sensor system that now detects gunshots in about a dozen US cities, including Gary, Ind., and Charleston, S.C. The product in widest use, ShotSpotter, tracks gunshots and alerts police dispatchers, within seconds, to the exact location of the discharge. The system is capable of filtering out other sharp sounds, such as firecrackers, and boasts accuracy ratings in the 80-90 percent range, according to company president James Beldock.

Human intelligence was key to the success of stemming gang violence in Boston in the late 1990s. City officials are agonizing over how best to recapture those days. Meanwhile, gunfire has become rampant in the city's so-called hotspots in parts of Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury. Murder rates increase while arrest rates plummet. Bostonians are losing confidence in the ability of the police and prosecutors to control an epidemic of witness intimidation in gang-related cases. The city can't afford to wait while police try to regain their old form.

Consalvo is organizing a public hearing on the new technology. There will be many factors to consider. Gunshots are an underreported crime. Last year, Boston Police responded to about 1,300 such reports. Police must first consider whether they are prepared to increase their rapid response capability should the calls for shots fired increase significantly due to new technology.

Officials also need to consider if the system should stand alone or be integrated with a camera system. Cameras that capture all manner of activities can raise civil liberties concerns that acoustic devices do not when tuned solely to the sound of gunfire. Next, officials will have to measure the costs and benefits of a fixed versus portable system. It costs roughly $400,000 to install ShotSpotter sensors on poles and rooftops over a 6-square-mile area, plus $75,000 in annual maintenance. A mobile system would cost more. Boston would benefit greatly if federal Homeland Security funds could be used.

Some police departments report significant decreases in gun violence after installation. And some felons have been caught with the smoking gun. But information is largely anecdotal by the police department. A comprehensive study on the efficacy of the detection system remains to be done. Boston Police officials should investigate thoroughly. The shooters are brazen. The new technology, at least, won't be subject to intimidation.