Cincinnati Council is expected to approve funding next week for Price Hill to use ShotSpotter. It's the technology that allows police to pinpoint the source of gunfire. It's already in Avondale, and police say it's reduced the number of people shot in there by 52 percent.
Price Hill activist Pete Witte stands outside his business on Glenway near Rosemont. He says, "We've seen a real uptick in the past year of gun violence. And so I know a block and a half behind our business the last nine months there have been two fatal shootings."
Witte says this is discouraging to people who want to invest in the community. He says ShotSpotter as one of the tools, combined with police data analytics, can make Price Hill a safer place to live.
"There's nothing worse than hearing fifteen police cars go screaming towards an address because when you've got that many police you always know what's going on," says Witte.
Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate says there's a reason Price Hill would be the second place to get ShotSpotter in Cincinnati. "The data shows us we do have an issue there that is not consistant with our other 52 neighborhoods and they are an outlier when it comes to gun violence."
Neudigate says the West End and Over-the-Rhine are in line to get ShotSpotter when funding becomes available.
