Alders frustrated with delay in Mayor Brandon Johnson's promise to replace ShotSpotter gunshot detection system
It has been nearly two years since Mayor Brandon Johnson decommissioned the city's controversial ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. At the time, the mayor vowed to replace it with a "better" system, but that has yet to happen, and some City Council members want to know what's taking so long.
The City Council Public Safety Committee held a hearing on Tuesday question the Johnson administration about the delay, but did not get the answers they were looking for.
Nearly two years into the process to find a possible replacement for ShotSpotter, city officials couldn't even provide a timeline for when a contract would be finalized with a new vendor.
Meanwhile, alders argued lives are at stake.
"He has said he wants a new gunshot detection system. So, then, where is it? Where is it? He made a promise. He needs to keep that promise," said Public Safety Committee chairman, Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd).
Taxpayers spent roughly $50 million dollars on the ShotSpotter system before the mayor shut it down in September 2024, after the mayor canceled the contract.
With that price tag, ShotSpotter was criticized for failing to result in a large number of arrests, prosecutions, or even evidence of a crime.
But at the time, Johnson vowed to replace it, and his administration issued a "request for information" seeking pitches from companies for proposals for a new citywide gunshot detection system.
Nine companies submitted bids for new systems by the deadline in April 2025, but no contracts have been awarded yet, and on Tuesday, the city's Department of Procurement Services couldn't even confirm a loose timeline of when a new vendor would officially be picked, or who is evaluating the proposals.
"This type of procurement is complex in nature, and we are working diligently," Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts said.
Several aldermen raised concerns about what seems to be a lack of urgency from the Johnson administration.
"Lives are at risk. Just in the 10th ward alone, I have had multiple victims lying in the alley for hours and hours," said Ald. Peter Chico (10th).
"This system, it saves lives. How much longer do residents in this city have to wait for the implementation of a new system?" said Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd).
Fifteen companies responded to the city's original "request for information," and nine of them later submitted formal proposals for new gunshot detection systems, but Johnson administration officials told alders there's not much they can share beyond that.
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who was a vocal critic of ShotSpotter and backed Johnson's move to remove its gunshot detectors in Chicago, said he didn't get the answers he wanted about a potential replacement system.
"We just need a level of transparency to understand how this is being considered, what works, what doesn't," he said. "Without us understanding what's being considered, we don't know any of that. We just know it's taking this long, and I think it leads to more frustration from members of the committee, members of the council, and neighbors at large that are asking us the questions."
Frustrated with the lack of answers from the Johnson administration, Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) called Tuesday's hearing "a total waste of time."
Hopkins said he's concerned that, at the current pace, a new contract may not be approved in 2026.
"Their words and their actions are not lined up. You know, they're not acting as though they're serious," he said. "If anything, it confirmed that there is a lack of urgency. You know, they're not moving expeditiously."
Hopkins scheduled a follow-up meeting on the effort to replace ShotSpotter for June 3. There were several questions that the Department of Procurement promised to deliver answers to in writing after Tuesday's meeting, so Hopkins said he plans to review those answers at the next meeting, and hopefully shed a little bit more light on the very long, drawn-out process.