Chicago removes ShotSpotter as the clock strikes midnight

LiLi Jarvenpa, Interim Content Managing Editor • September 30, 2024

Chicago ended its multi-year contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection technology provider, on Monday, Sept. 23, pulling the plug on the service after midnight on Sept. 22.

The Chicago City Council voted 33-14 on Sept. 18 to keep ShotSpotter in the city in an attempt to overturn Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to remove the technology in Chicago.

In a statement from SoundThinking, ShotSpotter’s parent company, the company said they were pleased with the City Council’s support of the technology in Chicago; however, Johnson vetoed the City Council’s decision, saying he wanted to explore other options.

“We are gratified by the support of the many alderpeople and civic leaders across the City who recognize the undeniable fact that ShotSpotter saves lives,” SoundThinking said in the statement.

ShotSpotter is a technology that uses artificial intelligence and a network of around 2,500 microphone sensors to identify gunshots around the city. It then sends the data to the police. From the beginning of 2024 to the end of August, 29,829 ShotSpotter alerts were recorded.

Shotspotter is in operation in over 150 U.S. cities, and Chicago has spent around $49 million on its contract with ShotSpotter.

Willa Mankin, a new Chicago resident, said she worried about safety before she moved from Champaign, Illinois, to Chicago in August. She said that even if police do not act on each gunshot notification, she is glad they know that shots were fired.

“I feel like maybe another system in place (with) the same concept would be really good,” Mankin said. “And I feel like it would also make me feel safer knowing like the police are on top of it.”

However, questions of ShotSpotter’s effectiveness have been raised. Johnson even called it a “walkie talkie on a pole.”

Other critics like the ACLU claim that ShotSpotter over polices neighborhoods that have a majority of Black or Latino residents.

Lauren Huston, 24, has lived in Chicago her whole life and says she has noticed the impact of gunfire detection technology.

“In lower income areas, I’ve definitely seen a change and there’s more cop cars, there’s more people patrolling, stuff like that,” Huston said.

Data on ShotSpotter’s effectiveness was released by the city on Monday, Sept. 9. It showed that response times from the ShotSpotter alerts were about three times faster than 911 calls.

However, only seven of the 143 victims who got help because of an alert got that help without an additional 911 call.

“I think it’s a shoddy business, and they said they were going to help with gun violence, and they haven’t done it,” said Alderman Andre Vasquez of the 40th Ward.

Michael Boland, a graduate student studying business at DePaul, says he generally feels safe in Chicago regardless of gunshot detection technology.

“I think that, while it is important to make people feel safe with technology such as ShotSpotter, there are better ways to spend the city’s money,” Boland wrote in an email to the DePaulia. “Investment in low-income communities and working to fix the issues that cause crime would be an alternative way to spend city resources that could do more than band-aids like ShotSpotter.”

Huston, the Chicago resident, also hopes the resources dedicated to ShotSpotter can be reallocated away from law enforcement. She said she would like to see more investment put into mental health services in the Chicago school system.

Even though ShotSpotter has been removed in the city, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reaffirmed its commitment to Chicago residents.

“CPD frequently adjusts our public safety efforts based on the needs of our residents and the resources available to us. This is no different,” the department said in its statement.

Johnson said that he was committed to finding other measures to keep Chicago communities safe.

“We’re going to find a pathway forward. We’re going to find a technology that actually works. And we’re going to keep this in mind — we’re going to invest in people,” Johnson said at a news conference on Wednesday after the City Council vote.

Johnson also issued a Request for Information (RFI) on Sunday before ShotSpotter was dismantled, asking firms to submit proposals for an alternative gunfire detection system.

“Through this RFI process, the City of Chicago will be able to aggressively look at equitable alternatives to help first responders acquire the absolute best community safety resources to aid them in reaching and responding to emergency scenes,” Johnson said.

The DePaulia

The DePaulia

The DePaulia

Chicago removes ShotSpotter as the clock strikes midnight

The DePaulia