The Mayor’s Office in Chicago announced on Tuesday, that it won’t renew its contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection technology that utilizes acoustic sensors to alert police of gunfire. The city’s current contract with ShotSpotter, which is worth $49 million, expires on Friday, but the technology will be decommissioned on September 22. The decision comes after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise to remove the controversial technology. Some stakeholders, including the city’s police department, attribute the technology for identifying shootings and hastening emergency responses, whereas critics argue that it contributes to over-policing and misuse of city funds. Reports also show that ShotSpotter has low efficacy, leading to arrests in only 1% of cases.
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