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Gun violence continues to be a concern for law enforcement nationwide. A May 2024 survey by Pew Research shows just under half of the Americans surveyed (49%) see gun violence as a major problem. While this is down a bit from the anomalous 60% in 2023, it fits within the average for years prior to 2023. Tackling the large issue of gun violence takes more than just law enforcement and requires multiple tools. Tools that include technology like ShotSpotter’s gunshot detection and PlateRanger’s license plate recognition (LPR).
An important part of solving crimes like gun violence includes data sharing and integration between various law enforcement systems. Tracking criminals who move between jurisdictions is easier when law enforcement has tools that integrate and share data. More data finds investigative leads more quickly, helping speed up investigations and build strong cases that lead to convictions. Traditionally, investigators searched siloed data systems manually, but with integrated systems like ShotSpotter, PlateRanger, CaseBuilder and CrimeTracer, agencies can reduce the amount of needed staff time and automatically uncover leads.
Data Integration Is Key
Integrating gunshot detection systems with automated license plate reader (ALPR) data can dramatically enhance law enforcement response and investigatory effectiveness. By combining audio-based gunshot alerts with LPR systems, officers receive real-time, location-specific insights into potentially involved vehicles, improving the chances of intercepting suspects quickly and gathering critical evidence. This integration speeds up response times by alerting officers within seconds of a gunshot, allowing them to access immediate vehicle information that could reveal suspects’ escape routes or identify the presence of high-risk vehicles.
The strategic advantage of integrating these technologies also lies in their capacity to offer comprehensive situational awareness. For instance, cities deploying systems like ShotSpotter, combined with LPR technology like PlateRanger, report a marked reduction in violent incidents and a quicker capture of suspects associated with vehicle-related crimes. By leveraging LPR’s connection to shared data networks like CrimeTracer, officers can trace vehicles across multiple locations, offering both immediate leads and long-term insights into criminal patterns. This integrative approach not only saves valuable investigatory time but also contributes to overall public safety.
AI-Based Vehicle and License Plate Recognition
PlateRanger™ powered by Rekor® and other ALPR technologies allows for the real-time detection and tracking of wanted vehicles, providing law enforcement with valuable intelligence to pursue leads. PlateRanger is AI-driven with high-accuracy reads of license plates, especially critical at night and in other challenging visibility and weather conditions. PlateRanger captures vehicle details that can help identify leads to speed up investigations.
AI-driven ALPR solutions can recognize partial plates, detect the color, class, make, and model of vehicles, which increases the likelihood of capturing critical evidence. The PlateRanger ALPR system also captures video with vehicle detection, allowing investigators to capture critical moments and their surroundings near the gun crime. PlateRanger helps locate vehicles involved in crimes and provides key investigative leads that may otherwise be missed through less-featured systems. Video clips can also provide situational context, such as people entering/exiting a suspect vehicle or even identifying witnesses that may have left the scene.
The Power of PlateRanger and ShotSpotter Integration
Integrating PlateRanger systems with ShotSpotter’s gunshot detection, agencies can significantly enhance their operational effectiveness. ShotSpotter detects gunfire in real time and alerts law enforcement within seconds, while integrated PlateRanger can identify and track vehicles nearby and leaving the scene of the incident. ShotSpotter’s direct integration with PlateRanger accelerates response times, enabling officers to intercept suspects more quickly, potentially save lives, gather evidence, including shell casings, and possibly prevent future gun violence.
For example, if a gunshot is detected and a vehicle is seen fleeing the area, PlateRanger can capture and log the vehicle’s license plate, make, and model. This information can be shared immediately with responding officers, creating a tactical advantage that enhances situational awareness and the likelihood of apprehending suspects. Historical LPR readings of that vehicle can also be instrumental, providing life habits of the vehicle to ensure a prompt and safe arrest. In the first quarter of 2025, the integration between ShotSpotter and PlateRanger will be available to customers of both products without the need for an API.
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Investigative Benefits of License Plate Recognition (LPR)
ALPR systems offer a wide range of benefits for law enforcement agencies, particularly when it comes to investigations. PlateRanger can be integrated with custom or standard systems such as NCIC Stolen, AMBER and Silver vehicle lists to automatically alert officers on patrol, allowing officers to promptly respond and apprehend suspects to improve safety for the community and the first responders.
Investigators or patrol officers can also manually search for vehicles, using vehicle-identifying information, PlateRanger will provide historical matching reads including locations and time the vehicle was seen. This ability to use the ALPR data to help find vehicle leads, speeds up the investigative process and contributes to faster case resolutions.
PlateRanger integration with ShotSpotter.
ShotSpotter API Facilitates Integration
Connecting information is crucial in law enforcement, not only for investigative purposes but also to speed up data sharing and reduce data entry errors between systems. Whether the data from ShotSpotter needs to be connected to your Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system or the investigative ALPR data from PlateRanger needs to connect to your Records Management System (RMS), there are APIs (Application Programming Interface) available. And those APIs are available to connect ShotSpotter, or other SoundThinking products, with other ALPR systems.
ALPR systems that integrate with ShotSpotter’s gunshot detection offer law enforcement agencies a powerful solution to combat gun crime more efficiently. The ability to track vehicles involved in incidents, combined with real-time gunfire alerts, additional database searches and effective investigation management, significantly enhances clearance rates. With AI-powered license plate recognition and seamless technology integration, agencies can respond to public safety challenges with greater precision and speed, ultimately saving lives and solving crimes faster.
