Meeting of city leaders to discuss expiring ShotSpotter contract Monday continues after disruption

CHICAGO — A Chicago City Council meeting to discuss the controversial policing technology that the city has an expiring contract with continued Monday morning following a disruption that forced the room to be cleared.

The city’s Public Safety Committee met for a 90-minute hearing to examine the latest ShotSpotter data, as the city’s contract extension with ShotSpotter’s parent company is set to expire on Sept. 22. The hearing got off to a tense start, with two members of the public wanting to speak.

The chair of the Public Safety Committee had to have them removed.

ShotSpotter has become a topic of much debate among city leaders. Mayor Brandon Johnson and several aldermen disagree over whether the city should keep using the acoustic gunshot detection technology, which has cost taxpayers more than $50 million.

In May, the mayor doubled down on his intention to cut ties with ShotSpotter after the City Council had just passed an ordinance requiring a full council vote to stop using the technology. However, Johnson claimed aldermen didn’t have the authority to pass such a measure.

Aldermen who favor keeping ShotSpotter still hope they can change the mayor’s mind, but they acknowledge time is running out.

On Monday, members of the Public Safety Committee, chaired by Ald. Brian Hopkins, heard from activist Pastor Donovan Price, former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson, representatives from ShotSpotter’s parent company and others.

Data being examined by the aldermen included 30,000 documented incidents of gunfire detected by ShotSpotter from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31.

The city has been using ShotSpotter for six years.

City Hall had wanted to cancel ShotSpotter in February but agreed to extend it through the Democratic National Convention, held last month at the United Center.

That extension alone cost the city more than $8.5 million.

Supporters, including CPD Supt. Larry Snelling, argue ShotSpotter leads to faster officer response times and saves lives.

Police say it was a ShotSpotter alert, for example, that led them to fallen CPD Officer Luis Huesca, shot and killed in Gage Park in April while returning home from his shift. Xavier L. Tate has been charged with Huesca’s murder.

Opponents, on the other hand, say ShotSpotter has not been effective and has led to over-policing in predominantly minority neighborhoods. They also question if it’s worth the heavy price tag.

In 2021, the city’s Inspector General reported less than 10% of ShotSpotter alerts led to a gun-related crime. In February, a Cook County State’s Attorney’s report stated ShotSpotter had little impact on gun violence cases.

Ald. Hopkins stated Monday that the ShotSpotter debate “is not a political decision.”

“This is an objective, data-based decision,” Hopkins said. “And if the data suggests that ShotSpotter is a necessary tool, I’d like to think the mayor is open-minded enough that he can change his mind. Let’s see what happens.

“… We’ve got a couple weeks to figure out what the plan of action is, so we just wanted to set the stage so the City Council can make an informed decision and the Mayor’s Office can review the data, hopefully, before the end of the month.”

Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez argued Monday said ShotSpotter has no increased efficiency in police response.

“The number of calls that are received clog the system,” he said. “We have many, many calls that are not emergency calls.

“… We’d like to see efficiency in response times. ShotSpotter doesn’t do that.”

The ShotSpotter contract includes a 60-day grace period after it expires on Sept. 22, but Ald. Hopkins said it’s his belief that the company can take the system offline on Sept. 23.

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