Shotspotter
Seven months after Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he will end the city’s contract with ShotSpotter, Chicago’s Black Alderman went against him and joined the City Council to keep the gunshot detection system that supporters say keep residents in violent neighborhoods safe.
The lucrative contract was set to end in four days when the City Council passed an ordinance 33-14 that will give Police Superintendent Larry Snelling the power to enter into a new contract with ShotSpotter’s firm, SoundThinking.
Fourteen out of 18 Black aldermen in the city’s predominately Black wards voted in favor of the ordinance. Alderman William Hall (6th), a strong ally of the mayor, was the only Black alderman who voted against it. Aldermen Lamont Robinson (4th), Jeanette Taylor (20th) and Walter Burnett, Jr. were absent and did not vote. Aldermen Matthew Martin (47th) and Maria Hadden (49th) voted against the ordinance.
The vote capped months of debate at City Hall as Alderman David Moore (17th) spoke out against the mayor’s decision and worked behind the scenes to get enough votes to keep the contract. Mayor Johnson announced in February that the city will no longer use ShotSpotter as part of his campaign promise he made in 2023. He decided to keep ShotSpotter during the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on the West Side.
ShotSpotter is an acoustic gunshot detection technology that uses acoustic sensors to detect and locate outdoor gunfire and notify police and first responders in less than 60 seconds. The device is usually perched high on light poles on city streets.
ShotSpotter has cost the city at least $49 million since Mayor Rahm Emanuel inked a deal with the service during his time in office. But during his campaign for mayor, Johnson called ShotSpotter a “failure” amid studies and concerns that the device leads to over policing in Black and Brown neighborhoods. A report from the Cook County States Attorney’s Office revealed ShotSpotter has “minimal return on investment” when it comes to holding shooters accountable. In Atlanta, police officials said the system was too expensive and turned it down. Mayor Johnson said the mayor in Houston called ShotSpotter “a gimmick.”
But during Wednesday’s City Council meeting, many Black aldermen shared stories from their wards to support their argument that ShotSpotter was a valuable tool in their neighborhood.
Alderman Pat Dowell (3rd) said three weeks ago, a young man at 46th and State was shot in the wee hours of the morning. She thanked ShotSpotter because nobody called the police during those early hours. Dowell also said ShotSpotter was helpful when seniors at a complex recently heard gunshots but didn’t know where they came from.
Dowell told Mayor Johnson that it wouldn’t be wise to end ShotSpotter service when there are no alternatives.
“Until we find a replacement, it is just a tool, and I feel so strongly about this. It is working,” Dowell said.
Moore said, “Let’s get this passed and then let’s talk,” Moore said. “We want to work with you, mayor, know that.”
Alderman Emma Mitts gave a passionate speech in support of ShotSpotter. “There’s more guns on the street than you realize,” Mitts said.
The ordinance almost didn’t make it to the City Council floor. Alderman Michelle Harris (8th) voted in favor of the ordinance, but on Monday, September 16, Harris tried to stop the proposal from going to the City Council by moving it from the Rules Committee that she chairs to another committee to make it ineligible for Rule 41. But the committee voted 30-to-17 against the move.
Before Wednesday’s vote, former Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson went on WVON 1690 as part of his campaign to promote ShotSpotter. Eddie Johnson is an expert consultant for SoundThinking, the company that owns ShotSpotter. And as part of the campaign, SoundThinking retained a public relations firm and a paid high-powered lobbyist to work with Council members.
The vote was a defeat for Mayor Johnson, who on Monday accused some Council members of looking out for “the interests of corporations who are trying to sell a product.”
At a news conference at Soldier Field that same day, Mayor Johnson said SoundThinking “said it would reduce gun violence by 50% and that this was going to make neighborhoods safer. We cannot afford the interest of corporations to play off the pain and the suffering of the people of Chicago.”
Mayor Johnson also said the city spent millions “for a walkie-talkie on a pole, and the reason why they said we needed it was to reduce gun violence. It didn’t do that.”
He also said “All over the country, people know that this corporate group (SoundThinking) has failed to deliver on the