TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The streets are an evolving challenge for the Tucson Police Department. There are more street races and gunfights, and a lot of bullets are fired. They are now leveraging technology to help.
Criminals are becoming more brazen, blatant and dangerous.
In addition to extreme speeding, street racers take over major intersections for stunt sessions called sideshows or street takeovers. As if that wasn’t dangerous enough, some of them also bring guns and use them.
Police say they witnessed child shooters firing more than 100 shots in other incidents.
Police are now bringing more technology into the fight.
There are now more microphones to detect gunshots and calculate the direction of fire.
There are more license plate readers to identify cars and more surveillance cameras to track trouble.
said TPD Captain Adam Kidd. “Once we get information about these street races and sideshow events, we deploy some of our pan-tilt-zoom cameras, license plate readers, and mobile shot spot detection devices, which not only help us on the investigative side; It also serves as an early warning system when these incidents start to occur.”
TPD is also a leader in analyzing shell casings left behind during shootings. That way, you can tell the story of each gun and the crime it’s associated with.
Police say the technology, combined with information from the public, will have further implications.
We met Joe Miller at the scene where the young man was killed. For 20 years, Miller has worked to improve life in the Midvale Park neighborhood. He says new technology can give people more hope that their phones can actually be useful.
“When a person calls, you feel like, ‘Maybe I should call.’ And if they know there’s something there and you’ll answer their call, they’re more likely to You can get more out of it and feel more comfortable making calls because the partnership is growing there.”
Last month, Craig Smith sat down with TPD Chief Chad Kasmer to learn more about the Tucson Police Department and how you can fight back. Watch the full story here:
Full interview: Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmer talks about gun violence
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston, and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 space shuttle launches and historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew, and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing Craig.smith@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook. Twitter.
