PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The final candidates for a potential gunshot detection technology pilot were questioned in a Portland City Council townhall Tuesday night.
The two companies, ShotSpotter and Eagl, both specialize in tech that spots suspected gunfire and automatically notifies police, but Eagl uses energy sensors while ShotSpotter uses microphones.
Eagl is a newer company that has admitted there has yet to be an independent study showing the technology works outside. They say their tech is mostly being used for private businesses.
“We do have outdoor deployments, but if you’re like, ‘Hey give me a list of 50 cities that you’re in,’ we’re not gonna produce that, but we’ll get you a few of them,” an Eagl spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, ShotSpotter was questioned whether they’re technology will clog up emergency response. They didn’t deny it was possible, adding that ShotSpotter would likely get priority.
The event was for the companies to answer questions about the technology. Any questions for the city were not answered.