When there’s a gunshot in the nation’s capital, the D.C. police can “hear” it — even if they’re not nearby.

At least 300 sound-sensors are placed strategically in the District’s most crime-heavy neighborhoods, recording the sound of gunshots and dispatching officers to the scene.

Info available through the ShotSpotter system. (Image source: ShotSpotter/Facebook)

According to a feature about the technology by The Washington Post, the ShotSpotters, which are placed in about a third of the city, have picked up on about 39,000 separate gunshot incidents since 2009.

This map shows the density of gunshot incidents picked up on ShotSpotter in Washington, D.C., since 2009. (Image source: Washington Post)

“ShotSpotter gives you a specific location,” Kristopher Baumann, president of the D.C. police union, told the Post. “You can go there and get out of the car. You can find a victim or shell casings.”

The police department told the Post it doesn’t track arrests that result from ShotSpotter notifications.

The technology is not only valuable for dispatching police to the scene but also helps them track patterns. February saw the fewest number of gunfire incidents while July had the most, according to the Post. Saturday, Sunday and Friday were the most popular days for incidents — Wednesday was the least popular.

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