Aurora neighbors petition for shot detection technology to help reduce gun crime

AURORA Colo, (KDVR) — Neighbors living in some parts of Aurora say constant gunfire has become their norm.

They are now petitioning police to invest in ShotSpotter or gunshot detection technology they believe will reduce gun violence in the area.

Many say the problem makes them feel unsafe just walking down their street.

Back in 2019, there was a situation where Denver officers alerted Aurora police about gunshots at the city line using their ShotSpotter technology. Now some Aurora neighbors say it’s time for their city to benefit from the technology.

David Bottoms loves to spend time outdoors in his Aurora neighborhood on his front porch, but these days he doesn’t do too much of that.

“Because at any point in time, something can happen,” he said.

Bottoms lives near the Del Mar Parkway neighborhood where he says he hears the sound of gunfire all too often.

“It’s not uncommon it sucks just last week right around my block alone there was 4 different shootings,” said Bottoms. “It’s really bothersome. Bullets don’t have names on them.”

Just a little more than a week more than 300 people have signed a petition to help solve the gun violence problem. They are calling to get ShotSpotters installed.

‘Every neighborhood has its problems but it’s like this one here has been forgotten, honestly forgotten,” said Bottoms. “Zip codes, 80010, 80011 and 80012. We all have the same problem. Unfortunately, Denver policies roll over here and we pay for the price for that and we didn’t before.”

According to an Aurora city spokesperson, the city has shown interest in the gunshot detection technology that uses sensors to detect and alert law enforcement agencies.

In a statement, the city said:

“While we don’t have ShotSpotter at the moment, our agency continues to explore the option of utilizing such technology, or similar, to supplement and enhance our ability to effectively serve our community.”

“It’s a problem obviously,” said Bottoms. “It’s doing something to help Denver out.”

Denver police told FOX31 that ShotSpotter has been an instrumental tool and a big part of Denver’s anti-violence efforts.

ShotSpotter data from 2023 in Denver shows:

• Total alerts: 4,954
• Total arrests: 122
• Total recovered guns: 104
• Percent of alerts with no resident-initiated 911 call: 87.4%

“It’s more of a direct line to the police,” said Bottoms.

DPD says these gunshot incident notifications also allowed police and emergency responders to swiftly respond and provide first aid and life-saving measures when a victim was shot, even when no 911 call was received.

This information has aided in the recovery of shell casings, video and other evidence based on the specified area identified.  Recovered evidence can also be used to link the weapon(s) used to other gunfire incidents and crimes, which assists in identifying suspects, crime trends and patterns of activity based on the recovered evidence.

Bottoms believes the technology would help police with response times

“The delay between the 911 phone call, I think that should be cut out,” Bottoms said.

He wants to see the neighborhood he grew up in become safer for everyone who lives there.

“Any kind of help,” he said. “Any kind of help to solve this.”

Once the petition has 500 signatures, organizers plan to present it to city officials as well as the Aurora police chief. They say even if ShotSpotter is not installed they are hoping to draw attention to the numerous reports of gunfire in the area.

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