Detroit City Council extends contract with controversial ShotSpotter program
Detroit City Council extends contract with ShotSpotter
At issue is the price tag of the ShotSpotter program and whether there’s enough evidence to show it works as the city looks to clamp down on summer gun violence before it has a chance to spike. The renewal passed by a narrow margin of 5 to 4 at an impassioned Detroit City Council meeting today.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit city leaders, narrowly renewing a controversial gunfire detection system on Tuesday.
Big picture view:
At issue is the price tag of the ShotSpotter program and whether there’s enough evidence to show it works as the city looks to clamp down on summer gun violence before it has a chance to spike.
The renewal passed by a narrow margin of 5 to 4 at an impassioned Detroit City Council meeting.
Some residents testified that it saved their lives or that of a loved one, while others say it amounts to over-policing of Black and Brown communities and lacks the data to show whether it works.
The City Council ultimately chose to adopt the 9-month extension of the program with a $2 million dollar funding boost as the original contract expires.
ShotSpotter uses microphones to detect gunshots and help police triangulate where they came from in an effort to boost response times.
Hear from both sides:
"I voted no. I did vote no a couple years ago. They have not been able to demonstrate the data or otherwise that ShotSpotter actually works and that it actually saves lives. If you take a look at the City of Chicago, or Kansas - they all (had to) basically just kind of eliminate it because it wasn’t helping," said Detroit City Council member Mary Waters.
"Who would know better about a ShotSpotter than the Shot Stoppers? The CVI groups were there in support of this technology because it’s like traffic law enforcement needing his radar gun," said Pastor Maurice "Mo" Hardwick. "If he can’t determine what speed you were going without that technology, their radar and ShotSpotter is the technology to find out just where the shot was at and hopefully find somebody still living, still breathing."
What's next:
One area both sides could agree on is the need for more funding to support grassroots CVI or community violence intervention programs.
Some actually wanted that $2 million for ShotSpotter to go there instead.