In October 2005, Rochester announced that it would implement "Shotspotter" technology in a high-crime area of the city called The Crescent. In July 2006 the technology went online, and now, when a gun is fired in the covered area, the system activates. Shotspotter triangulates the position of the gunfire by analyzing the data from listening posts across the Crescent, and tells police from where the gun was discharged; often with accuracy of  25 feet or less. Shotspotter is also integrated into Rochester's video surveillance system. When gunfire activates the system, police are able to get a visual of the area from where the gunfire took place. Sometimes, they get video of the shooter. Over the last few years we have seen semi-regular stories of Shotspotter alerting police to the location of a shooting just seconds after it happens, and when police arrive on the scene, they reportedly often find wounded or sometimes dead victims of gun violence.

A 19-year-old-male was reportedly arrested for Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property after a Shotspotter activation. The Crescent in Rochester now has both eyes (the video surveillance system) and ears (Shotspotter) everywhere. Law enforcement has an Orwellian view of the covered neighborhoods, and hopefully the residents find their loss of privacy to be worth the added security that Shotspotter may offer. Even when technology such as this is deployed, it doesn't mean that the laws regarding searches and seizures are thrown out the window. Police still need probable cause to stop a vehicle. If you have been arrested on gun, drug, or DWI charges after police stopped and searched your vehicle, talk to an attorney experienced in search and seizure law.

Challenging the stop of your car may be your best opportunity to avoid a conviction, because if the stop was unlawful the evidence obtained by police should be suppressed at trial.

You can reach the criminal defense lawyers at The Militello Law Firm by calling (585) 485-0025. The call is free.