Let’s Talk About Pasadena Police’s ShotSpotter

(Photo – Shotspotter.com)

Pasadena community organizations invites the public to join a Let’s Talk, Let’s Learn community conversation about ShotSpotter, on Wednesday March 9 (7:00 – 8:30 pm) on Zoom.

By Meredith McCurdy

Last October, Pasadena City Councilmembers approved a three-year contract for the Shotspotter gunshot detection system. The Shotspotter gunshot detection system works by using an array of acoustic sensors that capture the precise time, location and audio and then sends the information to the systems centralized cloud-based application. If the system’s acoustic sensors confirm gunshots then an alert is sent to the local law enforcement agency. Supporters of the system believe that it will help the Pasadena Police Officers respond quicker to scenes and save the lives of innocent victims.  Critics of Shotspotter have argued that the system does not address gun violence, improve community safety nor does it solve the troubled relationship between community members and police officers.

The Shotspotter gunshot detection system was brought to Pasadena in February 2022 and is currently active in council districts 1, 3 and 5. Since its inception, the City of Pasadena has continued to experience shootings although they are currently being investigated.

Pasadena is one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to use the Shotspotter system.

Pasadena community organizations

Pasadena POP!, NDLON, Pasadena Community Job Center, Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police (CICOP), NAACP PASADENA and the Clergy Community Coalition invite the public to join a Let’s Talk, Let’s Learn community conversation on Wednesday March 9. The panelists for the community conversation include Mohammad Tajsar, a Senior Staff Attorney ACLU Southern California, and Johnathan Manes, an attorney with the MacArthur Justice Center.

The community conversation will be facilitated by two home grown Pasadena leaders-Jose Madera and Nicole D. Bernard.

> Register for this virtual meeting here.

Community Conversation 
Wed., March 9, 2022
7:00 – 8:30 pm
On Zoom

Meredith McCurdy is a supporter of social justice issues, women’s rights and a lover of life.