On Sept. 18, the Chicago City Council voted 33-14 to approve an ordinance on acoustic gunshot technology. While the ordinance doesn’t explicitly mention ShotSpotter, the looming end of its contract on Sept. 22 prompted Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) and allies to push for an extension, especially after Mayor Brandon Johnson announced in February his plans to end it.
“It has to stay there,” Moore said, referring to ShotSpotter. “What other technology are we going to use? I ain’t married to no corporation or nothing. I’m married to keeping my people safe.”
The vote on the ordinance revealed a split among Black City Council members. Of the 17 Black alderpersons who cast votes on Wednesday, 12 supported the ordinance, while five opposed it. Notably, Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward), a member of both the Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus, was absent from the vote.
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) was also not recorded for a vote.
Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) was also absent from the vote. Relatedly, the City Council voted to approve Burnett to lead the zoning committee that same day.
Though the ordinance was overwhelmingly approved, Mayor Johnson announced after the meeting that he would veto it. The city’s Corporation Counsel, Mary Richardson-Lowry, explained that Johnson has the authority to do so because the City Council, as the legislative branch, cannot compel the executive branch to act.
“The [ordinance] that passed is in violation of the separation of powers act. The legislative branch cannot compel the executive branch to act. Hence, the item is a vetoable item and the mayor is going to exercise that privilege,” she said.
As written, the ordinance directs the Chicago Police Department (CPD) superintendent to consult with the Corporation Counsel to form a new contract extension renewal or a new contract for acoustic gunshot technology. The contract would be for a term of no less than two years and ensure no interruption to acoustic gunshot detection services.
Johnson questioned the effectiveness of the technology: “The question is, are people still feeling anxious and afraid? Yes, they are. So, the technology has not solved that fear or anxiety.”
“What you have in the mayor is someone who’s going to work collectively and collaboratively to make sure that corporations who have played on the fear of taxpayers that have cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars because of lack of investment. So I understand that that fear is real, so I’m working every single day to address it,” Johnson said.
Johnson highlighted his investments in the police department, including hiring more detectives, adding helicopters to CPD’s fleet, and having more mental health providers who are showing up to crises, as evidence of his efforts to improve public safety.
In addition, he pointed to reductions in homicides and shootings as evidence that addressing violence holistically works.
In February, Johnson moved to end the city’s contract with ShotSpotter. Since then, Moore and his allies have made attempts to keep the gunshot technology because they think the technology is keeping residents in their wards safe despite research from the MacArthur Justice Center showing that “more than 90% of ShotSpotter alerts lead police to find no evidence to corroborate gunfire when police arrive at the location ShotSpotter sent them: no shooting, no shell casings, no victims, no witnesses, no guns recovered.”
During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, at least a dozen alders gave remarks in support and in opposition to the ordinance. The debate on the ordinance lasted for more than an hour.
“You said you have a campaign promise, but you can’t put a life over a campaign promise, and put those people that you promised that to on hold to protect everybody in this city. You can’t put a dollar amount over safety.” Ald. Monique Scott (24th Ward) said. She represents part of the West Side and voted in favor of the ordinance.
Scott added that ShotSpotter works and is detecting gunshots in her neighborhood. She hasn’t seen an alternative to ShotSpotter, and the thought of not having it scares her.
“I’m scared for my residents. I’m scared for my daughter. I’m scared for myself. I’m afraid, and we all should be,” she said.
While on the campaign trail, Johnson promised a holistic approach to addressing violence and pledged to end the city’s contract with ShotSpotter. Following Wednesday’s vote, Johnson reiterated his commitment to public safety and to finding effective technologies but did not specify which alternatives his administration is considering. He mentioned that the city is gathering input from residents through a request for information process.
Since 2018, the city has spent $49 million on the program. ShotSpotter is used in other major cities nationwide, such as New York City, Chicago, Boston, Oakland, and Denver.
During Wednesday’s hearing, multiple aldermen mentioned that ShotSpotter had offered to reduce its price to keep the city’s business.
“They were trying to get as much money as they could, which is why they go from Whole Food prices to your local corner store and slashing it down 48%, hoping they could lock in a contract,” Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th Ward) said. “If it was so easy to do that, why didn’t they start off at 48% of what they were charging us? Because they want to keep the money coming.”
Vasquez voted against the ordinance. ShotSpotter’s contract with the city expires on Sunday, and according to Richardson-Lowry, the demobilization process will be phased as outlined in the contract.
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