ShotSpotter® for Highways 
ShotSpotter® for Campus 
ShotSpotter® for Corporate 
ResourceRouter™ Community 
By Ralph A. Clark, CEO of SoundThinking, and Melissa Dooher, Senior Director, Forensics & Litigation Support
For years, critics have tried to put ShotSpotter on trial in the court of public opinion. They’ve called our technology unreliable, invasive, and racially biased — slapping on labels like “surveillance tech” and tossing us into the churn of cancel culture without regard for facts or outcomes.
But now, we’ve had our day in an actual court…..again. And the verdict is clear……again.
On June 23rd, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York issued a sharp, unambiguous ruling in Simmons v. Ferrigno, a civil rights lawsuit involving a disputed police shooting in Rochester, NY. The plaintiff tried to suppress evidence from ShotSpotter — our acoustic gunshot detection system — arguing that it was prejudicial and untrustworthy. The court rejected those claims outright.
ShotSpotter wasn’t just admissible. It was essential. The court found that the audio data was properly authenticated, relevant to the central facts of the case, and helpful to the jury in understanding the sequence of events. In short: our technology held up under intense legal scrutiny — just like it does in the field every day.
Let’s be honest: this ruling won’t stop the loudest critics. For some, the narrative is too politically convenient to give up. But this case matters. It cuts through the noise and affirms a truth that deserves more attention in our national conversation about public safety and technology:
Sound, unbiased science-driven tools like ShotSpotter are not the problem. They’re part of the solution.
We’ve never claimed to be perfect. But we do claim — and now have fresh judicial affirmation — that our technology meets the highest standards of accuracy, transparency, and due process. That’s not just marketing. It’s a matter of federal case law.
Every day, law enforcement officers respond faster because of ShotSpotter. Communities receive emergency aid quicker. Gunfire that would otherwise go unreported gets documented. Lives are saved. And now we can add one more line to the résumé: court-tested and court-approved.
The next time someone tells you ShotSpotter can’t be trusted, ask them a simple question:
What does the US Second Circuit Court know that you don’t?
