Toledo Police say they already are seeing positive results with the new technology that detects and locates gunshots. ShotSpotter alerts led to three arrests over the July Fourth holiday.
On Wednesday at 11:18 p.m., police responded to 3024 Warsaw on a ShotSpotter alert of five gunshots. Babb Kurtlan, 39, was observed nearby with a holster visible under his shirt. Kurtlan admitted to shooting his gun off and was taken into custody for illegal discharge of a firearm.
On Thursday at 12:59 a.m., police responded to 824 Moore on a ShotSpotter alert. Mario Nash, 40, was observed fleeing into the location, but was later taken into custody without incident. During the investigation, a firearm and illegal narcotics were seized. Nash was charged with a number of drug and weapons-related offenses.
Also on Thursday, at 1:10 a.m. Gang Task Force detectives responded to a ShotSpotter alert at 3202 Parkwood. As detectives arrived, they heard three more shots being fired. Detectives detained three individuals near a parked car. A revolver was recovered from underneath the vehicle where William Edwards, 24, was observed. Edwards was charged with having weapons while under disability and illegal discharge of a firearm.
ShotSpotter sends alerts to police in real-time after detecting and triangulating gunshots. The system went live on June 25. In addition to increasing the detection of gunfire incidents, the technology has already shown to improve response times and assist officers in locating evidence at shooting scenes, TPD says.
In September 2018, TPD received a grant award of $492,553 to fund ShotSpotter for one year and a crime analyst for two years.
All community members are urged to call 911 and notify police of crimes in progress. ShotSpotter does not replace 911 calls. Anyone with information on shooting incidents should call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.
