ShotSpotter Shown The Door, Mayor Will Not Renew Contract

CHICAGO — The City of Chicago will end its controversial ShotSpotter contract, which ends this Friday. The gunshot-detection system will be decommissioned entirely on Sept. 22, fulfilling a campaign promise made by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“During the interim period, law enforcement and other community safety stakeholders will assess tools and programs that effectively increase both safety and trust, and issue recommendations to that effect,” Johnson said in a statement.

The gunshot-detection technology uses sophisticated acoustic sensors to detect, locate and alert law enforcement agencies and security personnel about illegal gunfire incidents in real-time. The digital alerts include a precise location on a map (latitude/longitude) with corresponding data such as the address, number of rounds fired, type of gunfire, etc. delivered to any browser-enabled smartphone or mobile laptop device as well as police vehicle MDC or desktop, according to the public safety company, SoundThinking.

The technology is said to better protect officers by increasing tactical awareness and bolster law enforcement’s mission to protect and serve, the company claims.

ShotSpotter has cost Chicago taxpayers $43 million since its inception under Mayor Rahm Emmanel in 2018. That same year, two Chicago police officers, Conrad Gary, 31, and Eduardo Marmolejo, 36, were killed by a train when Shot Spotter picked up gunfire. A man allegedly told police he found a gun lying on the train tracks and “tested” it by firing it.

During his 2023 mayoral campaign, Johnson called ShotSpotter “unreliable” and blamed the system of microphones for the death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in March 2021, who was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer responding to the system.

Cook County Kim Foxx released a report earlier this month stating that the gun detection technology rarely led to prosecutions for gun crimes, WTTW reported.

Before decommissioning the technology in September, Johnson said the city would work in collaboration with community stakeholders, violence prevention organizations and law enforcement to “accelerate the current downward trend in violent crime.”

“In advance of the decommissioning in September, the Chicago Police Department will work to revamp operations within the Strategic Decision Support Centers, implement new training and further develop response models to gun violence that ultimately reduce shootings and increase accountability,” Johnson said.