More than 6,000 possible gunshots and just 22 police service calls. That is the early scorecard for Fort Worth’s gunshot-detection pilot, and it has City Hall wondering whether the high-tech gear is doing what it promised.
The city quietly deployed acoustic sensors in five neighborhoods, and police data shared with the City Council show the devices flag a whole lot of potential gunfire while producing very few direct responses. That mismatch is now front and center as officials talk about pricey contracts and whether to double down on the experiment or pull the plug.
Where the sensors are and who runs them
Fort Worth is testing two types of equipment: Flock’s Raven audio detection system, which is paired with cameras, and portable acoustic units from Acoem. The devices cover five roughly one-square-mile pilot zones that include Stop Six, Las Vegas Trail, Rosemont, and portions of the Northside and South Riverside corridors, mirroring the plan the city outlined in 2023.
As reported by Fort Worth Report, the sensors are wired to cue nearby cameras and send alerts to the Real Time Crime Center. City officials initially pitched the rollout as a tightly targeted pilot meant to supplement patrols and bolster investigations in areas where officers are often stretched thin.
What the data show so far
Numbers given to the council by the Fort Worth Police Department show the sensors have registered more than 6,000 possible gunfire events. Those alerts, however, translated into only 22 police service calls, according to the Fort Worth Star‑Telegram…