ST. LOUIS — South St. Louis residents are reacting to the expansion of a program that encourages St. Louis offenders to reconsider.
St. Louis police have invested for years in high-tech equipment called “ShotSpotter” that can instantly pinpoint the location of a shooting, and the technology is now being expanded to the Dutchtown and Mount Pleasant areas.
Critics say the plan will be expensive, and some elected leaders question how effective it will be.
Along Grand and Meramec streets you'll find a community of small businesses, homes and everyday people. But some say crime is more prevalent than they'd like.
“I heard there was a shooting over here,” Brianna Roberson said, pointing behind her.
“A child was murdered in this building,” Arthur Courtland said, pointing next door.
In addition, a homeless man well known to the community was shot and killed just a few blocks away earlier this year.
“A friend of mine was murdered in this area recently – he was shot twice in the head. If there had been cameras there, they would have caught the killer,” Courtland added.
South St. Louis is now seeing a proliferation of ShotSpotters, high-mounted mobile cameras and discreet audio recorders.
“When they hear gunfire, they know exactly where to go,” Roberson said, demonstrating his knowledge of the technology.
It will cost about $5 million a year, paid for through a combination of city funds, grants and ARPA money.Still, some elected leaders have doubts.
“Dutchtown has a high concentration of crime, but I think ShotSpotter is a technology that's still being evaluated,” said Councilman Shane Kohn.
“To have real confidence, we need actual data. We want to know how many arrests the technology has helped with, how many of those have led to convictions. And I know that's what the community wants to know,” said Councilman Alisha Sonnier.
Police Chief Robert Tracy said the grant money will help expand the technology in south St. Louis.
“I think it's helped me a lot, honestly. … I think they need to play more at different positions,” Roberson said.
The city began using ShotSpotter in 2008, long before Tracy took office, and he described it as a way to “get shooters off the streets.”
