The Detroit City Council has narrowly voted to renew its contract for the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, securing the technology's deployment through March 2027. The decision, which passed 5-4, comes despite significant opposition from some council members and community critics who raised concerns about the system's substantial cost and potential privacy implications.
The contract renewal allows SoundThinking, the California-based company behind ShotSpotter, to continue providing its acoustic sensor technology. These sensors are designed to detect sounds resembling gunfire and automatically alert law enforcement. The system has been in use in certain Detroit police precincts since 2020.
Council President James Tate, a historical supporter of the technology, voted against the renewal, citing the $2.1 million price tag as a major obstacle. Tate stated that the cost was difficult to justify, particularly as the company declined to renegotiate the contract, which he characterized as already being a favorable deal.
Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who also voted no, expressed a lack of sufficient data demonstrating the technology's effectiveness relative to its cost and its impact on protecting public information. Gabrielle Dresner, a policy strategist for the ACLU of Michigan, testified against the extension, arguing that false alerts can lead to unnecessary police responses and contribute to negative perceptions of minority communities. Critics also questioned whether the acoustic monitoring of public spaces could constitute a form of surveillance and raised concerns about access to any collected audio data.
Despite these objections, supporters of ShotSpotter point to instances where the technology has aided law enforcement. According to Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes, an alert from the system on Detroit's west side led officers to a gunshot victim in a situation where no 911 call had been made. The system's deployment has been a subject of public debate in Detroit since its initial contract was signed.