(The Center Square) – Several Chicago city council members are working to preserve gunshot detection technology.
Mayor Brandon Johnson terminated ShotSpotter's contract earlier this year but later extended it through September.
Councilman David Moore said the decision on whether to keep the technology should be up to the City Council, not the mayor.
“If you take away ShotSpotter, which tells officers exactly where a shot was fired, what takes its place?” Moore asked.
Councilman Chris Taliaferro said the technology isn't perfect, but it works.
“Residents understand the importance of responding to emergency calls of shots fired as quickly as possible because it could potentially save a life,” Taliaferro said.
Moore and Taliaferro are part of a group of city council members who support a mandate to continue the ShotSpotter contract.
Former Chicago Police Commissioner Eddie Johnson, who led the Chicago Police Department from 2016 to 2019 and served under Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot, also advocated for keeping the ShotSpotter technology.
Johnson said ShotSpotter not only helps with response to shootings, but also helps collect data, which he said is important, especially in communities where people don't call 911 to report shootings.
“Without ShotSpotter, data collection would begin to decline as shootings in neighborhoods would not be reported, leading to the false impression that shootings are declining when in fact they may be increasing,” Johnson said.
Current Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling also spoke about the benefits of ShotSpotter technology.
