Savannah Police expand Shotspotter presence to enable better shots fired responses

by Cam McCann

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah City Council voted unanimously to begin phase 3 of its ShotSpotter subscription, increasing the range of the technology to 3.5 square miles.

Police Chief Lenny Gunther and Assistant Chief Robert Gavin answered council questions about the department’s continued use of ShotSpotter.

Police say technology affects response

Gavin said ShotSpotter is important to the police department’s ability to respond to shots fired. He said that without the technology, officers would be unable to respond as fast or to as many crime scenes.

“Our biggest issue in this city and even going back 30 years with me is people assume someone else is calling the police when shots go off, and that’s always the thing, so when [80%] of our shots fired don’t get a 9-1-1 call,” Gavin said.

Council members ask about oversight and data

Nearly every city council member commented on the topic. Nick Palumbo questioned artificial intelligence oversight. Detric Leggett asked about data harvesting and who police share the information with.

City Manager Jay Melder said the city is looking to include ShotSpotter data in the Savannah Police Department’s transparency portal. The portal has yet to be announced. Gunther originally said the department expected the portal to be active by the end of September.