Beyond Sound: Radar Tech Aims to Pinpoint Shooters with Military Precision

KENSINGTON, Conn. – July 28, 2026 – In the high-stakes world of public safety, the sound of a gunshot is both a crisis and a clue. For years, acoustic sensors have been the primary technology for detecting that clue, promising to give law enforcement a head start in active shooter situations. Now, a Connecticut-based company is arguing that listening for the bang isn't enough. WavePoint Solutions has unveiled a new approach, detailed in a white paper released today, that ignores the sound entirely and instead uses Doppler radar to track the bullet itself.

The technology, originally developed for the elite U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM), is now being offered to civilian law enforcement and private security. It represents a significant technological pivot in the multi-billion-dollar gunshot detection market, moving from a reactive acoustic model to a direct, trajectory-based one. By tracking the projectile's path, the system claims it can identify a shooter's location in less than two seconds, a capability that could fundamentally alter incident response. But as it moves from the battlefield to Main Street, it enters a landscape littered with the controversies and unfulfilled promises of its predecessors.

A New Paradigm in Detection

WavePoint’s core argument, articulated by its Law Enforcement Advisor and former Chief of Police Steve Cercone, is one of precision over approximation. "WavePoint does not detect the sound of a gunshot—it tracks the path of the bullet using radar and calculates the trajectory to help identify the shooter's location," Cercone stated in the announcement. This distinction is critical. Acoustic systems, dominated by market leader SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter), rely on a network of microphones to triangulate the source of a loud noise. While the company reports a 97% accuracy rate, the technology has been plagued by criticism over false alarms.

Fireworks, car backfires, and construction noise have all been reported to trigger alerts, dispatching police to non-incidents. A report from Chicago’s Office of the Inspector General found that 89% of ShotSpotter deployments resulted in no documented gun-related crime. Similarly, an analysis of over 50,000 alerts in the city revealed only 9.1% corresponded with evidence of a gun-related offense. These false positives not only strain police resources but can also lead to tense, and potentially dangerous, encounters in the communities where the sensors are often disproportionately deployed.

WavePoint claims its radar-based system circumvents this fundamental flaw, asserting it can deliver "zero false alarms" because it is tuned to detect the specific physical signature of a moving bullet, not ambient sound. By providing a direct line of sight to a shooter's position based on the bullet's flight path, the technology promises a higher fidelity of situational awareness. The company suggests its system can either replace or complement existing acoustic deployments, adding a layer of trajectory data that sound-based sensors cannot provide. This could be invaluable for responders trying to understand a threat in a complex urban environment or a crowded public venue.

From Battlefield to Ballpark

The technology's pedigree is a central part of its value proposition. Its development began in 2016 under Ironwave Technologies, a defense contractor specializing in sophisticated electronic warfare and sensor solutions for military and intelligence clients. Creating a system for SOCOM, a command that operates in some of the world's most demanding environments, suggests a high standard of reliability and performance. This military-to-civilian pipeline is a well-trodden path for innovation, but it also raises questions about the suitability of battlefield-grade surveillance for public spaces.

WavePoint is targeting a broad market, from law enforcement agencies to the private security teams protecting stadiums, outdoor festivals, government buildings, and corporate executives. In these scenarios, the ability to proactively identify a threat's origin point, rather than just its general vicinity, could transform security protocols. An anonymous security consultant for large-scale events noted that the difference between knowing a shot came from "somewhere in the north parking lot" and knowing it came from "the third-floor window of the adjacent building" is the difference between chaos and a coordinated, effective response.

The global gunshot detection market, valued at over $1.4 billion in 2025 and projected to more than double by 2032, is ripe for disruption. Driven by rising gun violence and a demand for smarter, more integrated security infrastructure, new players are constantly emerging. Competitors range from defense giants like Raytheon, with its own military-grade systems, to nimble tech firms integrating AI and advanced sensors. WavePoint's radar solution enters this crowded field with a unique technical story and a powerful origin narrative.

The Market and the Privacy Debate

Despite its technical promise, WavePoint's greatest challenge may not be its competitors, but public perception and the specter of pervasive surveillance. The company has proactively addressed this, highlighting a "Privacy by Design" approach. By not recording any audio or video, the radar developer sidesteps the most visceral privacy complaint leveled against acoustic systems—the fear of live microphones capturing public conversations. This is a savvy marketing and ethical stance, directly confronting a key vulnerability of the market leader.

However, the deployment of any persistent tracking technology in public areas invites scrutiny from civil liberties advocates. While radar doesn't listen, it still watches. Concerns about how trajectory data is stored, who has access to it, and how it might be used beyond an active incident will inevitably arise. The history of acoustic systems shows that deployment is often concentrated in minority communities, leading to accusations of biased policing and over-surveillance. WavePoint will have to demonstrate that its technology can be deployed equitably to avoid inheriting this legacy of distrust.

Furthermore, the data generated by this new system will face legal challenges. Courts are already grappling with whether an alert from a system like ShotSpotter constitutes "reasonable suspicion" to justify a police stop. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, for instance, has ruled that it can. Data from WavePoint's radar, with its claims of higher precision, will undoubtedly be presented as evidence, forcing the legal system to evaluate the technology's reliability, algorithmic transparency, and adherence to Fourth Amendment protections. The company's success will hinge not only on its technology's performance but also on its ability to navigate these complex ethical and legal waters with transparency. As cities, venues, and law enforcement agencies weigh their security options, the move from tracking sound to tracking bullets presents a critical new choice at the intersection of innovation, security, and civil liberty.