PSPD considers deploying listening devices to detect gunfire

Palm Springs police are considering deploying new technology in a neighborhood in the north part of town officials say is often riddled with gun violence.

ShotSpotter is law enforcement tech PSPD is consulting with the Desert Highland Gateway Estates community about possibly implementing. It uses gunshot listening devices mounted on telephone poles, street signs and buildings.

"Acoustic devices are set up throughout the city, so if a gunshot does take place, central station can determine more or less where that shot took place at," Lt. Gustavo Araiza said. "We can send officers at a quicker response time than waiting for the caller to call in."

The neighborhood is often the target of violence: in February, it saw two homicides less than a week apart.

On Feb. 19, a woman named Elisa Dorsey was found dead on the 600 block of Rosa Parks Road.

And on Feb. 25 on the same street, a crash scene was the result of a homicide. Police now say a cannabis delivery driver was randomly murdered after completing his drop off.

Palm Springs Police Department leaders have been canvasing the neighborhood asking residents their thoughts about implementing the new technology. Araiza said the overwhelming majority were interested.

"In most cases a lot of people think about privacy when we’re talking about surveillance systems, but when we talked about [ShotSpotter] specifically, most people said 'I'm not gonna go out and shoot a gun, so I'm not worried about whether or not my privacy is involved in that scenario,'" he said.

Araiza said ShotSpotter would eliminate the need for a resident to report shots fired, and instead allows investigators to track gunfire themselves – what police say is a proactive approach in a community that urgently needs solutions.

Residents in the area didn't want to speak with us on camera about the technology, but opponents say it could result in police targeting innocent residents merely based on the location gunfire is heard.

In a statement to News Channel 3, vice president of the neighborhood's Community Action Association said, “If the city was really serious about stopping gun violence, they would listen to the community and use those funds to invest in the 2 communities in order to create the social environment where young people would have the tools to deal with conflict.”