With Chicago's ShotSpotter contract expiring soon, debate continues: 'We do need it'

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The city of Chicago’s contract with the provider of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system is set to expire in less than two weeks, and Mayor Brandon Johnson has cited data that he says raises questions about its effectiveness. On Monday, though, some Chicago City Council members said they are still trying to keep it.

During a Public Safety Committee hearing, several alderpersons said people in their neighborhoods want Shotspotter to continue because it more quickly brings police and paramedics to help gunshot victims. Former Chicago Police Department Supt. Eddie Johnson — who helped bring the technology here — testified, too.

Johnson said the system isn't about prevention, but rather detection, and he said the tool can be a life-saver.

“I hope we get to a point in this city where we don’t need 13,000 – 14,000 cops,” he said. “I hope we get to a point in this city where we don’t need technology like ShotSpotter, but … the reality of where we are today, in 2024, we do need it.”

Southeast Side Ald. Peter Chico (10th), a former Chicago Cop, said he's used ShotSpotter to track gunshots and victims in his sprawling ward.

“I have a state park [and] three public housing complexes; I have a trailer park,” he said. “When shots go off in any of those locations, I couldn’t imagine not having ShotSpotter to respond to it. When there was no ShotSpotter, and shots would go off, it’s a crapshoot.”

Other alders, including Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th), echoed the mayor’s complaints about the system’s effectiveness.

No one from the Chicago Police Department testified.

Chicago’s contract is set to end on Sept. 22. The Chicago City Council has already voted to block the contract cancellation, but Mayor Johnson said the alderpersons don't have the power to do that.

Meanwhile, leaders in nearby Elmwood Park and Chicago Heights have signed contracts with ShotSpotter’s provider.

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