Salinas City Council agrees to spend $455,000 on technology to pinpoint gunshots.

In recent years, challenging discussions over the role of police in communities and what proper public safety spending looks like have reached boiling points in the public square. However, when it came time for Salinas City Council to decide whether to continue a contract with a California tech company that helps pinpoint the location of gunshots, there was little hesitation.

The council voted 7-0 to spend $455,000 for a one-year extension with ShotSpotter Gunfire Location, technology company that installs acoustic sensors that can detect the sound of gunshots. The audio data is immediately sent to ShotSpotter staff, who confirm whether the sound is a gunshot, and then alert police of the precise location.

In 2016, Salinas City Council accepted a $5.5 million grant from the state for anti-gang and gun violence efforts, $1.5 million of which went toward a three-year subscription to ShotSpotter and the purchase and installation of the acoustic sensors, which were placed in the areas of Salinas where gun violence is most likely to occur. Since 2019, the city has been using its own money to maintain the service.

Police Chief Roberto Filice told City Council on Dec. 7 the technology has provided a critical service. In 2020, ShotSpotter alerted police to 275 gunshot incidents; in only 17 of those incidents did police receive a 911 call. Filice said arriving more quickly at the scene of the shooting not only gives police a better chance of finding the culprit, but also to help any victims survive. As Filice was talking to City Council, he received an alert from ShotSpotter about possible gunfire in the city.

City Council agreed the service was necessary, however councilmembers Carla Viviana González and Anthony Rocha said the city needs to focus its investments on prevention. As part of the approval, council also told City Manager Steven Carrigan to come back before next year’s budget proceeding with a plan on how to most effectively spend $300,000 in preventative public safety programs.