Mayor Brandon Johnson declared on Tuesday his decision not to renew the city’s contract with the company responsible for ShotSpotter, the contentious gunshot detection technology. ShotSpotter, employing numerous acoustic sensors spread across the city, alerts law enforcement to instances of gunfire.
This resolution follows years of condemnation from researchers and community advocates who argue that ShotSpotter not only lacks effectiveness but also fosters unnecessary and perilous encounters between police and residents, particularly in Black and brown neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
Termination of the contract with SoundThinking, the rebranded company behind the technology, was a pivotal pledge made by Johnson during his campaign for public safety reform.
The city’s cessation of ShotSpotter employment is set for September 22, 2024. In the interim, as per its statement, “law enforcement and other community safety stakeholders will assess tools and programs that effectively increase both safety and trust.”
The statement further elaborates that before September arrives, the Chicago Police Department will explore novel strategies aimed at “ultimately reducing shootings and enhancing accountability.”
The implementation of ShotSpotter began in 2017 under the auspices of the Chicago Police, forming part of a broader initiative termed “smart policing,” intended to amplify the utilization of technology in curbing shootings and addressing crime.
Subsequently, in the following year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel approved a three-year, $33 million extension of the surveillance technology contract, contending that it enhances officers’ efficacy in combating criminal activities.
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Advocates of ShotSpotter contend that the technology preserves lives by notifying police of shootings in cases where no emergency calls are made to 911.
At a special community assembly hosted by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability in early February, certain residents expressed support for the continuation of the contract.
Conversely, organizers affiliated with the #StopShotSpotter campaign voiced differing viewpoints. Asia Smith, a community organizer with the campaign, highlighted concerns about the dangers associated with bringing police into neighborhoods where ShotSpotter is deployed, emphasizing its reactive rather than preventative nature and its alleged high rate of inaccuracies.
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SoundThinking maintains a 97 percent accuracy rate for gunshot identification via its computerized algorithm and human verifiers. Nevertheless, a mounting body of research has raised doubts not only regarding the efficacy of the technology but also its ethical implications.
A scathing report from the city’s Office of Inspector General in 2021 scrutinized ShotSpotter alerts spanning from January 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021.
It revealed that a mere 9.1 percent of ShotSpotter alerts resulted in the discovery of evidence related to gun-related criminal offenses. The report also underscored that responses to ShotSpotter alerts rarely yield evidence of gun-related crimes and even less frequently lead to the recovery of gun-related evidence during investigatory stops.
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The tensions surrounding Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter peaked in March 2021 following the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by Chicago Police Officer Eric Stillman in Little Village, subsequent to responding to a ShotSpotter alert. This incident prompted activists and community members to demand the termination of the contract, unaware at the time that Mayor Lori Lightfoot had already extended the contract through 2023.
Johnson’s administration had previously remained ambiguous about the mayor’s stance on terminating the contract. Nevertheless, his decision, while not entirely unexpected, aligns with his previous characterization of the technology as a “failure.”
Johnson had previously pledged to redirect the $10 million annual expenditure on ShotSpotter towards alternative measures to address illegal gun use, eschewing methods that promote the stop-and-frisk of residents.
