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Documenting Police Tech in Our Communities
with Open Source Research

Include the following technologies

Houston Police Department: Gunshot Detection

Illustration of how gunshot detection would function in an urban area
Sensors triangulate the location of gunfire.
Credit: ShotSpotter/City of Seattle
Agency Houston Police Department
Location Houston, TX
Technology Gunshot Detection
Vendor Shotspotter

In January 2022, the Houston City Council approved a $3.5 million contract to employ Shotspotter for five years.

More about this technology

Gunshot detection is a technology law enforcement uses to receive alerts on where gunfire may occur in neighborhoods. This technology relies on a series of acoustic sensors mounted on street lights or on the sides of buildings. When a loud noise triggers the sensors, software triangulates the estimated location of the gunfire.

Illustration of how gunshot detection would function in an urban area
Sensors triangulate the location of gunfire.
Credit: ShotSpotter/City of Seattle