CHICAGO (CBS) — A day before the long-awaited vote on a proposal to give the Chicago City Council more control over the city’s controversial contract with ShotSpotter, members of the Save ShotSpotter Campaign gathered at City Hall to show their support.
They were joined by a familiar face:former Chicago police chief. Eddie Johnsonwho led the department when it first started using gunshot detection technology in 2017.
Johnson was adamant that he is not being paid by the company to promote it. He said he just thinks it works.
“It saves lives,” said Ald. David Moore (17th).
Moore’s ordinance, which is up for a City Council vote on Wednesday, would give council members the final say on the removal of ShotSpotter sensors in their wards.
Members of the ‘Save ShotSpotter Campaign’, which includes at least a dozen councilors from across the city, today called for more data collection and more transparency about the future of the contract.
Earlier this year, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he will not renew the city’s contract– after years of criticism that the technology is ineffective And leads to dangerous interactions between officers and residents.
The mayor’s office has negotiated a contract extension until September 22 this yearfollowed by a two-month phase-out period before closing completely.
The Cook County State’s Attorney has also said the system has a “minimal return on investment” when it comes to holding shooters accountable.
But on Tuesday, ShotSpotter’s supporters agreed that it is “not the only tool, nor is it a perfect tool,” but they believe it has saved lives and will continue to do so if the city allows it.
“If we take away ShotSpotter, which alerts our officers to pinpoint areas of gunfire, what’s going to take its place?” Johnson said. ‘We can’t afford that.
As it stands, Mayor Johnson is still terminating the $49 million contract in November. There were several calls to collect more data before then.
Megan Hickey
