Calls are helping – NYPD

THEY’RE hearing something — and finally saying something.

Two years ago, the first ShotSpotter gunfire sensors were installed in Brooklyn and the Bronx amid great concern that far too often — about 80% of the time — New Yorkers who heard shots didn’t bother calling 911.

Since then, the rate has improved — with 34% of shootings detected by ShotSpotter also resulting in a 911 call, according to 2016 statistics.

The rise comes as arrests by police and complaints against officers are both down substantially while the department adheres to a new policing philosophy that stresses a closer relationship between cops and the neighborhoods they serve.

Deputy Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the NYPD’s technology guru, said the sea change is affecting the way New Yorkers think about the NYPD.

“We know that based on neighborhood policing, that the NYPD is making significant efforts to partner with the communities, and we also know that cops are responding more to shotsfired jobs because they know about more shots being fired,” Tisch said. “The numbers show more people are engaging with police.”

Sgt. Joseph Freer, who works with Tisch on the ShotSpotter initiative, said that even though the alerts are sent to cops’ smartphones and beat the average 911 caller by almost two minutes, the added value of an eyewitness or earwitness is immeasurable.

“We can’t have cameras everywhere,” Freer said. “We need human eyeballs, so getting that citizen call is just as valuable. We’ll get there quicker with ShotSpotter, but I’d still love to tie it to witness descriptions.”