[sudo-discuss] shotspotter will be discontinued

what do people think of the shotspotter system installed in oakland? it's a network of microphones on telephone poles, each with a GPS (for a precise clock) and a network connection. When a gunshot-like sound is detected, they send the sound and its precise timing to a central server that determines the location of the shot, and tells the police to go there. some people have expressed concern that the microphones are used to spy on people, but it would be impossible to hear a conversation from the top of a telephone pole that wasnt already loud enough to be heard inside nearby houses (or the phone in your pocket). apparently the city pays $264,000 per year to keep shotspotter going. I think sudoroom people could do it for much less if they thought it was a useful thing. They would be discontinuing it to save money, or perhaps to avoid having to send cops to do actual work once in a while... i mean.. sending police toward the gunfire? sounds like a good idea... http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Oakland-cops-aim-to-scrap-gunfire-detec…