<\/p>\n
A Raven sound sensor, pictured here in Manatee County, Fla. The device is pictured on the left side of the pole.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Flock Safety<\/p>\n
If you hear gunshots in Fort Worth, there\u2019s a chance police could know about them before anyone calls 911.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because microphones designed to detect the sound of gunfire have been installed around the city, and can help police pinpoint where the shots may have come from.<\/p>\n
The technology has been operating in Fort Worth for several years, but unlike the license plate cameras drivers may see along the road<\/a>, these devices are meant for sound.<\/p>\n So where are the microphones, what exactly can they hear and what happens when one detects a possible gunshot?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what to know.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf0 In case you missed it: <\/p>\n How do Fort Worth gunshot detectors work?<\/p>\n Fort Worth police use gunshot detection systems from Flock Safety<\/a> and Acoem.<\/a><\/p>\n Flock\u2019s Raven system relies on multiple microphones in an area to identify and locate potential gunfire. When a sound is detected, microphones in the area analyze the noise, according to a presentation from the Fort Worth Police Department.<\/a><\/p>\n If three microphones identify the same sound as gunfire, the city\u2019s Real Time Crime Center is alerted<\/a> and given a location based on information from the three sensors.<\/p>\n Raven can also work with the city\u2019s existing public safety cameras, according to a 2025 report<\/a> from the city manager\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Acoem\u2019s system works differently. Instead of relying on a network of microphones, each pod has multiple sensors that can locate a sound on its own. Artificial intelligence helps the sensors tell potential threats from false alarms, according to Acoem<\/a>.<\/p>\n When gunfire is detected, the technology can identify the blast from the gun and the sound wave caused by a bullet moving through the air.<\/p>\n Each Acoem system used by Fort Worth is directly connected to a camera, according to the city manager\u2019s report. The camera can focus on the area where the sound was detected, giving police a live look at what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n Where are gunshot detectors located in Fort Worth?<\/p>\n Fort Worth police have installed Flock Raven equipment in five areas selected based on the city\u2019s history of gunfire, according to the city manager\u2019s report.<\/p>\n The sensors are in the Northwest 25th Street, Las Vegas Trail and Rosemont areas, along with areas near South Riverside Drive and Berry Street and Stalcup Road and Berry Street. Together, the five areas cover about five square miles of Fort Worth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Acoem equipment is used at large-scale and special events or in places with increased reports of shots fired outside the Raven coverage areas, according to the report.<\/p>\n Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 16, 2025, Raven sensors generated about 6,074 gunshot detection alerts. But that doesn\u2019t mean police detected more than 6,000 separate shootings.<\/p>\n Multiple sensors can send alerts for the same incident<\/a> as they work together to locate where shots came from. Another alert can also be created if there\u2019s a delay between shots, such as when someone reloads a gun, the report said.<\/p>\n Police rarely send officers to a gunshot detection alert unless it can be confirmed another way, including through a 911 caller or city-owned camera.<\/p>\n If an alert hasn\u2019t been confirmed, dispatchers routinely send the information to officers through their in-car computers.<\/p>\n A city review found 22 calls for service tied to gunshot detection alerts during that time.<\/p>\n Can Fort Worth gunshot detectors hear conversations?<\/p>\n Flock Safety says no. Its Raven system only activates when it detects a sound pattern of interest<\/a>, such as a gunshot.<\/p>\n Sounds aren\u2019t kept unless they\u2019re identified as potential gunfire, and audio from the last 200 potential gunfire incidents are retained unless it\u2019s considered evidence, according to FWPD\u2019s presentation.<\/p>\n Acoem also says its technology detects specific sounds, not conversations. The system has been trained using thousands of sound samples to identify possible threats and tell them apart from background noise.<\/p>\n When a significant sound is detected, the system records 1.5 seconds of audio to locate and verify the potential threat.<\/p>\n Everyday sounds that don\u2019t trigger the system aren\u2019t recorded or analyzed, according to the company.<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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