Associate Magazine - FBINAA - Q4 - 2022

Continued from "Combating Gun Violence in Your Community", on page 19

• Our teams relied on objective data to determine the most equitable and effective locations to implement preventative technology like ALPR and gunshot/audio detection devices. LEVERAGE DATA TO CAST A BALANCED NET OVER HIGH-CRIME AREAS Community gun violence tends to be highly concentrated. Studies show that 50-60% of all violent crime occurs in an area that makes up about 3-5% of the community. Always use data to inform your technology deployment strat egy. In doing so, you can ensure you’re allocating your resources in the most efficient manner. Our team did this by casting a virtual net of Flock Safety automatic license plate reading cameras around the city, at major intersections, and in historically high-crime areas. When not going to call, some patrol officers proactively positioned themselves downstream from the cameras so as soon as they received a Hot List alert, they were already in an optimal location to intervene. Throughout the entire process, your department should con tinuously target, test, and track outcomes with a Crime Analyst's input and adjust the “virtual net” as needed. CONSIDER AN INTEGRATED AUDIO-VISUAL EVIDENCE CAPTURE DEVICE, LIKE THE FLOCK SAFETY RAVEN Vallejo PD also sought to implement the help of the Flock Safety Raven, an integrated audio detection system that pairs with Flock Safety ALPR cameras to detect audio signatures indicative of crimes in progress —such as gunshots.

law enforcement while simultaneously activating the closest ALPR cameras to capture visual evidence of the vehicle(s) at the scene.

The Raven's alerts can also help officers cut off certain events before they escalate and get officers to crime scenes in enough time to potentially save lives. THE BOTTOM LINE: USE EVERY TOOL YOU HAVE TO INCREASE CLEARANCE RATES AND DECREASE OVERALL CRIME Homicide clearance rates have been dropping for decades, from 82 percent in 1976 to less than 50 percent in 2020. But recent research indicates that enhanced investigative resources, management structures and oversight processes can increase shooting clearance rates in even the most complex cases. Agencies must commit significantly more time, attention, and resources to investigating fatal and nonfatal shootings and should rigorously evaluate the results of these investments. Com munity policing, additional officers, machine learning technology systems, and other investments must be made to see a significant impact on the gun violence epidemic.

About the Author: Jason Potts is the Director of Public Safety/Chief for the City of Las Vegas Department of Public Safety. Before transitioning to his new position, he held various assignments with the Vallejo Police Department to include SWAT, Investigations and various Task Forces. Potts also helped start the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice (violent crime working group), and is a National Policing Institute fellow. In June of 2019, he received national recognition at George Mason University for his collective efforts with the department in advocat ing for evidence-based policing.

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At the time of detection, the Raven sends real-time alerts to local