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Project Challenge

�Gun violence and the reckless use of firearms remain a pervasive problem in the United States, exacerbated by rising numbers of illegal gunfire incidents and an increasing mistrust of law enforcement that often inhibits reporting by the community. This project, motivated by real-world events in a mixed-use community in Austin, Texas, seeks to build a community-based acoustic gunshot locator system for detecting and localizing gunshots using a distributed network of inexpensive acoustic sensors. Since residents, rather than private entities, own and install these sensors and receive alerts directly, a sense of ownership and control of the system will result in improved feelings of safety, increased engagement, and better collaboration and cohesion with law enforcement in addressing illegal gunfire.

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A Community-Based

Gunshot Alert System

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North Austin Civic Association

Austin, TX

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NSF Award ID: 2431234

PI: Will Hedgecock

Vanderbilt University

2024 Civic Innovation Challenge

Pilot Vision

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  • Determine is there will be adequate participation from across the community to provide an effective system.
  • Assess the appropriate level of complexity and reliability of the system needed for residents to be confident in its utility.
  • Assess whether the community feels safer as a result of the system, and measure whether better or more actionable reports are made to law enforcement as a result of its deployment.
  • Determine whether law enforcement is able to more efficiently or effectively respond to gunshot reports, and check whether there are any discernible changes in the frequency of gunfire itself.

Civic Partners:

  • North Austin Civic Association (NACA)
  • Austin Police Department (APD)
  • Austin City Council, District 4

Research Partners:

  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Texas State University

Research Questions

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  • What are the community’s needs and concerns related to gun violence?
  • What are law enforcement’s needs and concerns related to gun violence?
  • How can the proposed community-based system address the needs and concerns of both parties?