On Wednesday, Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria) presented legislation to establish a grant for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office to purchase technology to detect gunshots and give law enforcement more resources to address rising crime in St. Paul.

 “It’s a very chaotic situation in St. Paul,” Senator Ingebrigtsen said. “You’ve got crime on the rise and a record amount of carjackings and murders occurring. These tools will provide our law enforcement with critical information that help them in weapons investigations, homicides, shootings, and other crimes.”

Police rely on the community to call 911 if gunshots are fired, but less than a quarter of incidents are ever reported on average. By implementing a gunshot detection system, officers can react quicker, accurately, and more frequently to search for gunfire.

Gunshot detection systems like ShotSpotter would also help police departments gather data and efficiently dedicate resources to serve and protect when it comes to gun violence.

“This is just a commonsense approach to protect these communities,” Ingebrigtsen continued. “I know Mayor Carter has been in opposition, but if we can secure the funding, shouldn’t we do everything in our power to assist law enforcement?”