Letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions - In Support of the Application Submitted by the Utica Police Department for Funding Through the Technology Innovation for Public Safety Grant

Letter

I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by the Utica Police Department for funding through the Technology Innovation for Public Safety Grant (BJA-2017-11547) offered through the Department of Justice. Such funding will enable the department to purchase a Shotspotter gunfire location alert and analysis service.

The Utica Police Department protects a 17 square mile area of Oneida County, located in the center of New York State. The department responded to 47 firearm shooting assaults over 2015 and 2016 -- with 44% of reports involving a lapse in report time or uncertainty of the exact location of the shooting. Nearly one quarter of all shooting assaults reported to the department over this period had no accompanying location data available to responding officers.

With funding, the Utica Police Department will acquire a Shotspotter gunfire location alert and analysis service. The tool combines wide-area acoustic surveillance with cloud-based analysis to triangulate the location of gunfire, and then relays that information to dispatch centers, patrol cars, and even smart phones. This technology will help reduce shootings in the area by improving the response time of officers to crimes involving gunfire. I applaud the Utica Police Department for its foresight, and sincerely hope the application meets with your approval.

Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have questions.

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