Durham Reporter

Durham residents are seeking an answer to the city’s rising crime rate, but ShotSpotter technology is a controversial issue as some opponents have expressed privacy concerns.

Durham Police and ShotSpotter representatives recently held a public forum about the benefits of the system.

"Ask the families that are losing people on the daily,” Leonardo Williams, council member of Durham, said in a WTVD report. “Ask them how urgent it is. They are really asking for solutions, they're asking to get something in place, now.” 

The questions have already delayed the implementation of ShotSpotter until mid-November, but with an increase in gun violence, Williams would like to see quick action.

Each side has valid comments, as evidenced not just by the session at Lyon Park Community and Recreation Center, but in general comments since the city first broached the idea. While some have privacy concerns with the technology, others say it's a tool to make streets safer with sensors that could detect gunshots in real-time. 

Durham resident Jahquel Pullen said the new technology is like the surveillance cameras in his residential area.

”My apartment complex has a lot of cameras, and I feel like that makes me feel a lot safer,” Pulled said.

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews explained in the report how the technology would work. 

"Officers are not swarming into the area now, and they're not going to swarm into the area when there's a ShotSpotter alert,” Andrews said. “Now, if there's an alert saying there's multiple sounds going off at the same time in the same area that would be an elevated, so we'd want to definitely send more than two officers to the area. The officer's responsibility once they arrive on scene is to make sure there's no one that's down ... and then we want to be able to search for evidence legally."

Williams encouraged people with questions or concerns to attend events to engage with the community, as having these conversations in-person can be more productive.

"This is not the one all solve all,” Williams said. “This is simply a part of supplemental resources to create a safer and more reactive, more responsive public safety methodology.”