Overview
The City of Houston, Harris County, and Spring Branch ISD have purchased ShotSpotter, a costly and controversial technology that involves microphones installed in communities that experience gun violence.
Visualizations
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SoundSpotter Alerts from 2020-12 - 2023-06
News
- Critics say ShotSpotter gunfire alert data is inaccurate, but Houston is spending $3.5M to expand it
- Houston ShotSpotter program: Are 99 arrests in two years worth it?
- Houston’s gunshot alert system isn’t curbing violence but delays police response times, data shows
- Authorities investigating late response to shooting of George Floyd’s 4-year-old grandniece in South Side
Datasets
ShotSpotter data - Houston ShotSpotter Data (Houston Police Department) • MuckRock
Getting Involved
- RISE Houston
- “[RISE is] a grassroots coalition of Houston community members, organizers, civil rights lawyers, and concerned civilians dedicated to Re-Imagining Safety for Everyone (RISE) in Houston.”
- Houston Abolitionist Collective
- “The Houston Abolitionist Collective is a group of organizers committed to building power and a movement around abolition in Houston and Harris County through political education, mutual aid, transformative justice, and community organizing to end policing, punitive justice, and harm.”
- DSA
- “Houston DSA’s Abolition Working Group fights for the abolition of policing and prisons. [Houston DSA] stand in solidarity with Black communities, Latinx communities, and all those affected by policing and incarceration.”
- Pure Justice
- “The mission of Pure Justice is to empower members and supporters to advocate for the changes they want to see in [the] criminal justice system and for the economic opportunities they need. Through community organizing and civic engagement, [Pure Justice] aims to transform institutions, create equity, and improve the lives of low to moderate income families in Harris County.”