The Detroit City Council voted narrowly on Tuesday to extend its contract with SoundThinking for the ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology. This means that the California-based firm will continue its services until March 2027.
The technology uses acoustic sensors on city streets to identify sounds resembling gunfire, automatically alerting the police in case of a potential shooting.
The renewal passed with a 5-4 vote, despite several council members and critics expressing concerns about its high costs and privacy implications. This information was shared by Michigan Advance.
James Tate, chairman of the Detroit Board of Trustees, who has previously supported ShotSpotter, opposed the renewal this time, citing the $2.1 million cost as hard to validate. He remarked, “There’s a challenge with that amount. It’s not a technology issue. When I was asked if we were going to renegotiate the contract, the answer was no, because we had a contract in the first place. So I’m now in a situation where I can’t support this particular amendment.”
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero voted against the bill, stating that she hadn’t seen enough compelling data to prove the technology’s effectiveness or cost-efficiency. “Frankly, I haven’t yet heard enough support from the public,” she said, expressing unease about the tech’s ability to protect sensitive information.
Gabriel Dresner, a policy strategist from the ACLU of Michigan who testified against the extension, noted that false alerts might provoke unwarranted police responses and contribute to the negative perception of minority communities.
Despite these concerns, there have been instances where ShotSpotter technology has demonstrated its utility. For example, Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes mentioned a case where officers found a shooting victim alive after a ShotSpotter alert, even though no one had called 911.
Since the initial contract with the Detroit police department in 2020, the technology has generated significant public debate.
