Cleveland Board of Control Approves Contract with Levin College to Evaluate Effectiveness of ShotSpotter Use in Local Neighborhoods 

Levin College of Public Affairs and Education Professor of Criminology, Dr. Stephanie Kent, will serve as Co-Principal Investigator of a study which will analyze the effectiveness of ShotSpotter, an acoustic gunshot detection technology that can detect, locate, and alert police to nearly all gunshot incidents. 

Cleveland's 12th District Councilwoman, Rebecca Maurer, put forth an amendment for CSU to conduct this research after organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio questioned the effectiveness of ShotSpotter. Maurer is hopeful the research will provide clarity and help determine whether ShotSpotter is worth further investment.  

Dr. Kent and her team aim to leverage focus groups and interviews between residents and police to examine two things: how ShotSpotter can effectively and efficiently reduce violence, and how community trust with the police can be built.  They will also use ShotSpotter data to compare with other crime points and police activity within local neighborhoods. "Over the next 24 months, we're desperately going to need residents' feedback in those areas in order to evaluate this aspect of the technology,” Dr. Kent shared with News 5 Cleveland. 

The full story on News 5 Cleveland can be found here. »