Chicago
Chicago plans gunshot detection pilot in six police districts, but aldermen say they cannot get details
Two years after ending ShotSpotter, the Johnson administration says a six-month test of public safety technology is coming to the South and West sides, while police officials at a budget hearing could not say who is running it or when it starts.
Prairie Record, published
Chicago plans to test gunshot detection and other public safety technology in six South and West Side police districts, two years after Mayor Brandon Johnson ended the city’s ShotSpotter contract.1, 2 But at a City Council budget hearing Wednesday, police officials could not say which company would run the pilot or when it would begin.1
The pilot will cover police districts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11, Block Club Chicago reported.1 The 7th District, which serves Englewood, is among them, according to FOX 32 Chicago.2
How the pilot surfaced
Sharla Roberts, the city’s chief procurement officer, told alderpeople about the plan in a letter dated Oct. 20, ahead of a committee meeting on gunshot detection, Block Club reported.1 She wrote that the city would evaluate “a range of violence interruption and public safety technologies, including gunshot detection systems,” and that she expected the pilots to be “operational within the next two weeks.”1
At that meeting, a council committee advanced an ordinance that would require Johnson to award a gunshot detection contract within 30 days of its passage.1 The full council has not voted on it.1
Mayoral press secretary Allison Novelo said Wednesday the pilot would start “as soon as possible,” with an update expected early next month, and would run six months.1 She said it is separate from any pending purchase of gunshot detection or violence intervention systems.1
The city has released few details on the technology, the vendors, the cost or how the pilot’s results will be measured, FOX 32 reported.2
Questions at the police budget hearing
Acting Police Superintendent Fred Waller called gunshot detection a “valuable tool” during the hearing on the department’s budget.1 Asked by a reporter during a break for details about the pilot, he said, “I wish I knew, I wish I knew more.”1
Dan Casey, a managing deputy director in the city’s Office of Public Safety Administration, said the procurement department was leading the pilot.1 “You have no idea?” asked Alderperson Jason Ervin (28th).1 “I would be speculating,” Casey replied.1
Alderperson Matt O’Shea (19th) called the pilot a “BS maneuver by the Johnson administration,” Block Club reported.1 Alderperson Samantha Nugent (39th) said “there was no CPD involvement in a program that is going to be administered by them.”1 Alderperson Marty Quinn (13th) asked that the 8th District on the Southwest Side be added, and Waller said, “Nothing is off the table.”1
The mayor’s position
Johnson said in a statement that the pilots would show what works before the city makes long-term commitments.1, 2 “These pilots ensure that before we make long-term commitments, we understand what works, listen to the communities impacted, and make sure we’re getting results for Chicagoans, not simply enriching large corporations,” he said.1
Joseph Williams, a member of the 7th District police council, told FOX 32 that residents want a system that helps officers respond faster.2 “I’ve had great feedback from community,” he said.2
Quinn sponsored a nonbinding question on the Nov. 3 ballot asking Chicago voters whether the city should resume using gunshot detection technology.1 Under Johnson’s 2027 budget proposal, the Police Department’s budget would rise by about $133 million, to $2.24 billion.1
Written by AI. This story was researched and written by an AI system from the 2 sources listed below, and published after an automated check that it rests on a government document or two independent news organizations.
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