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Klobuchar Announces Federal Law Enforcement Funding For Minneapolis' Gunfire Detection System

Grant will help reduce response time to gunfire- related crimes

September 4, 2008

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced today that funding she had aggressively sought for the crime-fighting Byrne grant program has been awarded to the City of Minneapolis Police Department.  The grant totaling $536,609 will modernize the city’s Gunfire Detection System to cut down on police response times during gunfire crimes.  The Mobile Data Computers provided by the grant will give the police department the capability to receive real-time reports from the Gunfire Detection System, thereby significantly reducing police response times.  In the past, the gunfire detection reports had to first go through a dispatch center before being routed to the correct public safety officers on the streets.

“As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand the success of programs like this detection system in protecting our citizens,” said Klobuchar, who was Hennepin County’s chief prosecutor for eight years before her election to the U.S. Senate.  “The men and women who are on the front lines protecting us deserve our respect and that begins by giving them the tools they need to do their job.”

The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program provides support to local law enforcement authorities for multi-jurisdictional drug task forces, anti-gang efforts, specialized prosecutors and other crime-fighting initiatives.  Last year, Minnesota received nearly $4.5 million in Byrne grants. St. Cloud and Stearns County have received more than $50,000 in Byrne grants in the last three years.

The new response system will increase the chances of apprehending those involved in gunfire-related crimes and equip officers with crucial, time-sensitive information.  Specifically, the new system will allow police officers to hear the gunfire detection system transmission, make the determination not only whether it is gunfire, but also judge the gun.  The grant was authorized and funded through a line item in the Fiscal Year 2008 Congressional Budget.

Klobuchar is also pushing for full funding of the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, which helps local communities hire extra police officers and pay for overtime to keep more officers on the streets.

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