skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, November 1, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump attacks Liz Cheney using violent war imagery; Election insights: What 50 Ohioans want to hear from candidates; Consumer groups slam CA Supreme Court ruling on lemon law; On National Brush Day, new resources in KY to boost oral health.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Harris says her campaign is prepared for Trump to prematurely claim victory, Pennsylvania election officials say safeguards in the system are preventing vote fraud, and Montana Senate race could hinge on the "political refugee" vote.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A Cambodian poultry farmer who lost his livelihood could be a hero for others, rural Montanans are anxiously awaiting a court ruling over a climate lawsuit brought by young people, and Northeast states say more housing for working families could boost jobs.

Concerns Voiced About Gunshot Detection Technology for Portland

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 20, 2022   

A police oversight group has formally recommended Portland adopt a technology known as "ShotSpotter" to help tackle gun violence, but the technology has been met with some skepticism.

ShotSpotter uses artificial intelligence with data collected from hidden microphones to determine the location of gunshots and inform the police department.

Dan Hon, a Portland-based strategy consultant in government and civic technology, said the technology still has to make some leaps to determine if the sound it hears is a gunshot.

"The thing about technology that we really need to understand is that it's not magical, it's not necessarily more reliable," Hon asserted. "It's not necessarily going to 100%, always classify sound in exactly the right way."

A study last year from Chicago, where ShotSpotter has been implemented, found it led to more than 40,000 dead-end police deployments in less than two years.

A ShotSpotter spokesperson says the report draws erroneous conclusions from its interpretation of police reports.

The Focus Intervention Taskforce Community Oversight Group submitted its recommendation to Mayor Ted Wheeler and the city council on Monday. Hon argued if the technology is adopted, open data is key to ensure accountability.

Je Amaechi, digital organizer in Portland for Freedom to Thrive, pointed out the technology is still experimental, and has even faced a challenge to its constitutionality as sole evidence in an Ohio case.

One of the biggest criticisms is it could lead to more policing in communities of color. Amaechi thinks the resources to bring ShotSpotter to Portland should be used instead to improve lives in communities of color.

"They instead use it to manipulate people into manufacturing consent for this surveillance system that puts more police into their neighborhoods," Amaechi contended. "And we've seen already that more police in neighborhoods does not make us safer. It makes us, actually, more at risk of police violence."

A ShotSpotter spokesperson said communities affected by gun violence "deserve a rapid police response, which gunshot detection enables regardless of race or geographic location." At a community meeting last week, ShotSpotter stressed the technology would only be used to detect gunshots.

Chris Bushick, executive director of PDX Privacy, believes the microphones could be used for other purposes.

"I really want to believe them, but I've been disappointed many times by tech companies that have broken their promises," Bushick stressed. "And there have been at least two criminal trials where prosecutors have tried to introduce into evidence voice recordings that were obtained from gunshot detection systems."

ShotSpotter says sensors are only designed to record loud sounds and says the risk of recording voices is extremely limited.

More than 120 cities are contracted with ShotSpotter, according to the company's website.

Disclosure: Freedom to Thrive contributes to our fund for reporting on Criminal Justice, Immigrant Issues, LGBTQIA Issues, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Signal Ohio found overarching issues such as climate change, reproductive rights and safety were on the minds of many Ohioans. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

As Election Day approaches, the online outlet Signal Ohio interviewed 50 people across Cleveland and Akron to find out what is on the minds of …


Environment

play sound

Wild Chinook salmon have returned to the Upper Klamath River less than two months after the largest dam-removal project in U.S. history to remove …

Social Issues

play sound

Millions of Californians buy used cars still under a manufacturer's warranty - but consumer groups say those warranties are now essentially unenforcea…


Even with the rise of social media and email blasts, traditional "Get Out the Vote" rallies are seen by experts as key to helping boost participation in elections. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Political rallies and large-scale "get out the vote" events might conjure images of a packed arena in a major city but in states like North Dakota…

Environment

play sound

As North Carolina communities continue to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Helene, they have faced a new obstacle: A surge of misinformation is …

As of Oct. 31, Minnesota election offices had accepted nearly 1 million absentee ballots. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

In the final sprint toward Election Day, some Minnesotans might worry their absentee ballot won't arrive in time. Experts say there's no cause for …

Social Issues

play sound

New York's affordable housing crisis is being made worse by corporate landlords, according to groups trying to reform the system. The state …

Social Issues

play sound

By Mariah Alanskas for Kent State NewsLab.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021