Activists urge Chicago to end multi-million dollar contract with ShotSpotter

CHICAGO (CBS) – For more than a year, activists have been calling on Chicago to cancel its controversial contract with the gunshot detection company ShotSpotter.

On Wednesday, Dayton, Ohio police did just that. The city pointed to the high cost and lack of data showing just how effective the system actually is.

CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey looked into why critics of ShotSpotter said Chicago should follow suit.

While there are some obvious differences between Chicago and Dayton, population being one of them, critics argue Chicago should look at the example in Dayton when considering the future of the contract here.

When Chicago's three-year, $33 million contract with ShotSpotter was coming to an end in 2021, the CBS 2 investigators discovered it had been quietly extended another two years to the tune of about $9 million per year.

And that was despite calls from some residents that the gunshot detection system, which covers more than 100 square miles of the city, be reevaluated for its effectiveness and impact on communities.

"Nine out of 10 times when police go chasing down a ShotSpotter alert, they don't find anything," said Jonathan Manes of the MacArthur Justice Center.

Manes' team found that the vast majority of ShotSpotter-initiated police deployments turn up no evidence of any reportable incident or crime.

The Office of Inspector General also concluded that it was not "an effective tool" in developing evidence for gun crimes.

Dayton police said they can't quite say how effective it was for them either, which is one of the reasons why they're dropping it.

The Dayton Police Department declined a request for an interview, but in a lengthy statement said, in part, "while ShotSpotter area shows a more considerable decrease in violent crimes, this can't be solely attributed to ShotSpotter's effectiveness."

 ShotSpotter Statement PDF by Alex Ortiz on Scribd
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The Dayton Police Department decided not to renew the roughly $615,000 contract and instead will be focusing on the efforts of beat officers.

"I think that other cities should take that into account," Manes said. "Maybe follow their lead.

"I think people have a right to demand that the city not spend money on this and think about better ways to reduce gun violence."

ShotSpotter also declined a request for an interview, but said in a statement:

"Dayton PD's announcement of their intent to not renew their contract with ShotSpotter does not negate ShotSpotter's effectiveness. As the PD themselves indicated, the coverage area did see a reduction in violent crime. By itself, ShotSpotter is not a cure-all, but studies have shown it's a critical part of a comprehensive gun crime response strategy that saves lives, improves evidence collection, and builds community trust. In fact, community members want ShotSpotter in their neighborhoods to improve safety."

In:
• Chicago
• Gun Violence