COLUMBUS, Ohio — An expansion of the gunfire detection system known was ShotSpotter was activated in the Hilltop neighborhood on Friday.
The technology went live around 3 p.m. in the Wedgewood area of the Hilltop.
Wedgewood, specifically the Wedgewood Village Apartments complex, has seen multiple shootings in the last few months, some of which have been fatal.
As gunfire is detected by ShotSpotter, a notification is sent to officers who can pinpoint the specific location in which the gunfire occurred.
A study conducted by the Brookings Institution concluded that more than 80% of gunfire incidents go unreported. ShotSpotter can alert officers of virtually all gunfire in the city's coverage area within 60 seconds.
"This allows our officers to be notified quicker and to respond quicker to gunshots so I think, hopefully, it will add an added response for some of the gunshots that are not currently being called in and we'll get there quicker even if no one calls 911, our officers will be responding," said Assistant Police Chief Greg Bodker.
In 2022, the division recovered shell casings in 1,054 separate ShotSpotter alerts. Officers made 45 arrests for weapons offenses, 29 arrests for other offenses and seized 45 firearms based on those alerts.
To include Wedgewood, the existing Hilltop coverage area was expended by .64 square miles.
In total, 12.64 square miles of Columbus is now equipped with ShotSpotter technology in the Hilltop, Linden, South Side and Near East Side neighborhoods.
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