ShotSpotter Makes Sales Pitch For Crime Forecasting In Worcester

WORCESTER, MA — A company that sells software that purportedly forecasts crime made a public sales pitch to Worcester City Councilors and residents at a meeting Monday night. And while police department leaders and some Councilors favor the ShotSpotter Connect software, many in the public warned against it.

California-based ShotSpotter is widely known for providing gunshot detection equipment to cities — including Worcester — across North America. Worcester wants to expand its use of the gunshot detection system, and ShotSpotter is offering a discount if Worcester pilots the new ShotSpotter Connect program.

Phil Dailly, a former Baltimore police officer and a ShotSpotter vice president, gave a presentation about ShotSpotter Connect to the Council's Public Safety Committee Monday night. He pitched the software as a way to use police resources more efficiently.

"This is about making the community feel safe from crime, and safe with their police officers that are there to serve and protect them," Dailly said.

Outcry in Worcester over the software has focused on the possibility that it will direct police to low-income neighborhoods because the software uses geographic data about crime. Dailly said the company does not use data about people, only about "places, events and time." The software, for example, does not include homeownership data, but does use items like lunar cycles and the weather, Dailly said.

But those who oppose adopting ShotSpotter Connect highlight that you don't need to use data about people to target racial groups or the poor.

"City Councilors assure us that ShotSpotter Connect only targets locations and not individuals. However, many areas of Worcester are racially segregated, and ShotSpotter can target Black and brown folks simply by targeting the neighborhoods where they live," the group Defund WPD said in a statement about the software.

Dailly said the software generates directed patrols for the department, sending officers to perceived crime hot spots for 15 minutes about two to three times per shift.

At-Large Councilor Donna Colorio took time to laud the possibilities of ShotSpotter Connect, saying it would make police more visible in neighborhoods.

"Being visible can also create conversations between people and the police to create those relationships we need later on," Colorio said.

District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera asked ShotSpotter representatives about challenges and unintended consequences other communities have seen using the software. Only a handful of cities, including Chicago, Wilmington, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Jackson, Tenn., use Connect so far.

ShotSpotter analytics director Wendy Ethridge said the only challenge is getting police departments set up with the software. Ethridge said that wouldn't be a problem in Worcester due to the department's enthusiasm.

About unintended consequences, Ethridge said, "We don't have any yet, we're still in the early adopter phase."

During public comment, many residents spoke against the software, saying the money would be better spent on items like education, social services and public health. There were also supporters, including the Shrewsbury Street Neighborhood Association. The issue also drew comments from outside Worcester, including Arielle Sharma, an attorney with Boston-based Lawyers For Civil Rights, who said there isn't enough research to prove that programs like Connect are effective.

According to Worcester police Chief Steven Sargent, ShotSpotter Connect would cost about $64,000 in the first year. But ShotSpotter would give Worcester an $80,000 discount on the expansion of the gunshot detection equipment if the city signs up for Connect. The total cost for both the expansion and Connect would be just under $150,000 in the first year. On Jan. 19, the Council voted to allow City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. to draw about $150,000 from his contingency fund to pay for just the expansion of the gunshot detection equipment.

The Public Safety Committee ultimately voted 3-0 to accept Dailly's presentation on the software, but did not make a recommendation about buying it. Rivera also requested ShotSpotter's presentation be shown to groups like the Worcester Branch NAACP, Black Families Together and Worcester Interfaith.