TOLEDO, Ohio — The Fourth of July holiday can make it hard to differentiate the sounds of fireworks versus gunshots.
This is where the Toledo Police Department reaps the benefits of using a gunfire locator tool known as ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter technology was adopted by TPD in 2019.
Some of you may or may not be able to tell the difference between the sound of a gunshot and fireworks. That's where ShotSpotter steps in.
"Firecrackers are usually kind of a sharper report. Gunshots usually have a deeper, more resounding explosion," explained Connor Bartlett from Temperance when asked how he tells the difference between the two.
ShotSpotter takes away any doubt a caller may have and provides a clear answer for police.
"Sometimes people call 911 and they think you know, they say I know what a firework sounds like, this wasn't a firework and police get there and it ends up being a lot of fireworks," said Toledo police Lt. Kellie Lenhardt.
It's during cases like this where the TPD utilizes the help of a sensory tool called ShotSpotter, which can tell the difference between the acoustics of a firework and a gunshot. By using ShotSpotter's triangulation technology, a phone call is not always necessary to locate a scene.
And the response time is much faster than a regular 911 call alone.
"They make that phone call, the operator has to put it into the system and then dispatch crews to that area. And that can take 2, 3, 4 minutes. Where as that ShotSpotter, the sensors pick up that gunfire, it goes to the incident review center. It gets sent back, all within 60 seconds," said Lt. Lenhardt.
Those seconds come into play, especially recently, after TPD announced there were 10 people shot from June 24 to July 1.
"I think ShotSpotter is a great idea for the city area where things are a little more confined. I think it'd be best for people's safety to have such a device," said Tim Hopkins, of Temperance.
Especially now, for those who can or can not tell the difference between a gunshot and a firework.
"ShotSpotter could absolutely save lives. It gets police there a lot quicker. It get EMS there a lot quicker. It just really shortens that time which medical care can be provided when no one calls 911," said Lt. Lenhardt.
Lt. Lenhardt also says you should never hesitate to call police if you believe you have heard gunshots fired, even if you may be uncertain.