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Detroit City Council sued over ShotSpotter contract approval

By and Jack Nissen
Published  December 1, 2022 8:26am EST
Detroit City Council
FOX 2 Detroit

Groups sue Detroit City Council over ShotSpotter expansion

After the Detroit City Council approved a $7 million expansion of ShotSpotter, three groups have sued the governing body for violating ordinances that require it to be transparent when voting on contracts.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Several law firms have sued the Detroit City Council over its approval of a $7 million expansion of the controversial ShotSpotter technology that detects gunshots and aids police. 

The groups say the governing body failed to follow city ordinances when it voted on the contract, and thus it should be voided.

The city council renewed its current $1.5 million contract with ShotSpotter in September, later approving the expansion two weeks later. But according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the Detroit Justice Center, Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, and Schulz Law PLC, the city wasn't transparent and didn't involve the community in the vote. 

According to an ordinance concerning civilian input in city decisions, the council is required to review the potential impacts of surveillance technology and release it to the public at least two weeks before it's discussed.

Detroit police have advocated for the technology's expansion, arguing it helps them respond to reports of gunfire quicker. Mayor Mike Duggan also came out in support of the technology after a 19-year-old went on a random shooting spree in Detroit.

But social justice advocates and other community groups have pushed back on its use, arguing the money could be better spent tackling the root causes of crime, rather than further arming the police with more surveillance.

"Keeping people in their homes with those millions of dollars is a way more effective use of money than following the path of cities like Chicago who have spent tens of millions of dollars on ShotSpotter technology and their own inspector generals conclude it yields no results," said Phil Mayor, an attorney with the ACLU

Eric Williams of the Detroit Justice Center said during a conference before the expansion vote took place that the city council wants to vote on contracts like ShotSpotter's because "they feel a need to show they are doing something."

"But this is technology that has been shown time and time and time again, city after city, to be an expensive boondoggle," he said.