ON DEMAND

The Lancaster Playbook: How a Small Department Turns Gunfire Alerts into Evidence, Warrants, and Cases

Eleven hours after Lancaster, South Carolina went live with ShotSpotter®, officers made a domestic violence arrest on a shooting no one had called in. Months later, they used gunfire data to build warrants that shut down a nuisance house — and turned ShotSpotter audio into evidence in a homicide.

One small department. Big outcomes.

Join Captain Nelson Bowling of the Lancaster Police Department for the playbook behind their success — where every alert is treated as a crime scene, forensic reports become legal assets, and a whole city — from the chief of police to city council — treats gunfire as a problem worth solving.

You'll leave knowing how to:

• Use forensic reports, NIBIN, and ShotSpotter audio to strengthen cases
• Build command buy-in that officers actually follow
• Integrate LPR, cameras, and gunfire intelligence to develop leads faster
• Operationalize every alert — from first response to a documented, court-ready scene
• Turn repeated gunfire into probable cause for search warrants

 Nelson Bowling, Captain, Lancaster (SC) Police Department   

Captain Nelson Bowling serves as Captain and Support Services Division Commander for the Lancaster Police Department in Lancaster, South Carolina. In this role, he helps oversee key operational functions including communications, training and safety, records, school resource officers, victim services, and community policing. Captain Bowling has played a leading role in Lancaster’s ShotSpotter deployment, helping the agency build the training, response practices, and investigative workflows needed to turn gunfire alerts into actionable public safety outcomes. 

 Josh Judah, Customer Success Director, SoundThinking 

 Josh Judah was a Louisville police officer for 21 years, joining the former Louisville Division of Police in 2001. Josh served in nearly every rank of LMPD, before retiring as Assistant Chief/Lieutenant Colonel in 2022. As Assistant Chief of LMPD’s Patrol Bureau, Josh supervised all patrol operations across Metro Louisville with approximately 700 personnel under his command. His last duty was commander of the Administrative Bureau, overseeing human resources, technical services, recruitment, fleet, records, the LMPD Service Center, and the department’s $180 million dollar budget. A longtime supporter of ShotSpotter, he is now a Customer Success Director with SoundThinking.