The Detroit City Council has narrowly voted to renew the city’s contract with SoundThinking for its ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. The decision will allow the California-based company to continue providing crime-fighting technology through the end of March 2027.
Contract Details
The system will deploy acoustic sensors mounted above city streets to detect gunfire-like sounds and automatically alert law enforcement when a suspected shot is fired. The measure passed by a 5–4 vote, with several councilmembers and critics citing high costs and privacy concerns during Tuesday’s hearing.
Council President James Tate, who has historically supported ShotSpotter in Detroit, reportedly opposed the renewal, arguing that the $2.1 million price tag was difficult to justify. Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who voted against the measure, said her opposition stemmed from a lack of data showing the technology’s effectiveness.
Gabrielle Dresner, a policy strategist for the ACLU of Michigan who testified against the extension, said false alerts can lead to unnecessary police responses and reinforce perceptions that minority communities are inherently dangerous. However, the ShotSpotter technology has reported successful cases, including a ShotSpotter alert on Detroit’s west side that led officers to a gunshot victim who was found alive in a case where no one had made a 911 call.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
