Is DeSoto’s investment in ShotSpotter paying off?

CBS News reported on DeSoto’s implementation of ShotSpotter. The city signed a $300,000 three-year contract with SoundThinking in mid-2023, covering a two-square-mile area. Since then, DeSoto police have responded to 166 ShotSpotter notifications, with 140 confirmed as actual gunfire incidents. The technology has led to 8 arrests, 4 gunshot victims located, 10 firearms seized, and 224 fired cartridge casings found. Assistant Police Chief Ryan Jesionek praised the system’s effectiveness, citing improved officer safety and response times. “It’s certainly difficult to put a value on intervention in a gunshot incident involving an injury,” he said. “I would say for victims’ families, intervening in and perhaps saving somebody’s life is invaluable.”