IMPD officers begin responding to shots fired calls using gunshot detection technology

[actaeon277]

Another question is would the money that's available for shot spotter tech be available for any of those other things.

Private and public grants are often for specific projects or goals and can't be used for other things, which can be frustrating but it's how reality works so you deal with it.

Yes I didn't take that into account. Just like money for roadblocks.
Which makes me mad, because I've heard people say officers on the street looking for drunk drivers works better. But they can't get the money for that.
So, we are stuck funding a less than ideal situation.

Been there, done that.
Seen a good idea, that was working, shot down because upper level saw ONE problem, and shut it down.
But their pet project with a list of problems, actually costing the company MILLIONS of dollars lost in costs and production, keep going for years.
Even seen multiple projects continue, even though the manufacturer AND the EPA said the projects wouldn't work. But, the Good Idea Fairy determined it was TO BE DONE, and so it was DONE.
The manager pushing it, then moved on, counting it as a feather in the cap.
The manager following it, that shuts down the project though, gets a black mark on the record.


Good ole bureaucracy.

 

[actaeon277]

And this doesn't mean I am against trying to tech, or new ways.
But there's some ideas that you just know.
When you get a manufacturer saying it's a bad idea. And 20 out of 20 technicians, many of them with over 20 years, some with 50 years, of experience.. but someone saw it in a BROCHURE.

Ugh.
That brings up nasty memories of climbing smoke stacks for a couple years, rain, snow, lightning, and high winds.. on TWO separate projects.
One, when we were allowed to make major modifications, got it to work, the other... NEVER WAS GOING TO WORK, because of physics.

Jeez, that's brought up memories of dozens other projects.
Now I'm depressed.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Yes I didn't take that into account. Just like money for roadblocks.
Which makes me mad, because I've heard people say officers on the street looking for drunk drivers works better. But they can't get the money for that.
So, we are stuck funding a less than ideal situation.

There's money for both, but you have to do so many checkpoints to get the roving funding as a department. I've discussed it before, but the idea is checkpoints don't catch as many offenders but it shows more drivers that OVWI enforcement is occurring and it part of the awareness campaign like the radio ads, billboard ads, 'drove sober or get pulled over' marketing, etc. Roving catches more offenders but does not raise general awareness as passerbys have little idea what the person was stopped for.

If it works or not is a question I don't have an answer to nor care enough about to research, but there is a theory behind the distribution of money.