In a closely contested decision, the Detroit City Council voted on Tuesday to extend its partnership with SoundThinking, ensuring the continuation of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system in the city.
This move permits the California-based company to provide its crime detection technology services to Detroit until the end of March 2027, marking a commitment to enhanced public safety initiatives in the years ahead.
The ShotSpotter system, which features acoustic sensors strategically placed across city streets, has a primary function of identifying sounds resembling gunfire. These sensors promptly notify law enforcement when a potential gunshot is detected.
Michigan Advance reports that the council approved the contract renewal by a narrow margin of 5–4. The voting session was marked by animated discussions, with opponents highlighting the system’s financial implications and raising alarms about potential privacy intrusions.
In a similar urban environment, ShotSpotter technology was previously deployed on a light pole in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, captured in February by the Chicago Tribune. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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.
“I have a challenge with that dollar amount. It’s not about the technology,” Tate said.
“When asked, would they renegotiate the contract, the answer was no, because we’ve been giving you a deal in the first place, so that leads me now to a situation where I cannot support this particular amendment.”
The Detroit skyline is seen from the water in Detroit, Mich. (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket)
Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who voted against the measure, said her opposition stemmed from a lack of data showing the technology’s effectiveness, Michigan Advance reported.
“Frankly, I still have not heard enough support from the public, have not seen data that shows that this is working for the cost and that it’s actually protecting our information,” Santiago-Romero said.
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, according to the outlet.
A Detroit police car sits on a downtown street in Detroit, Mich., on July 18, 2014. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Critics also questioned whether acoustic microphones monitoring public spaces could amount to a form of surveillance, as well as who would have access to any audio data collected.
However, the ShotSpotter technology has reported successful cases.
According to Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes, a ShotSpotter alert on Detroit’s west side led officers to a gunshot victim who was found alive in a case where no one had made a 911 call, Michigan Advance said.
The technology has drawn public controversy since Detroit first signed a contract covering certain police precincts in 2020, and again in late 2022.