Chicago’s city council voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow the police superintendent to renew the city’s ShotSpotter contract in a last-ditch effort to keep the gunshot-detection technology that far-left mayor Brandon Johnson remains committed to getting rid of.
After more than an hour of debate, the council voted 33–14 to pass the ordinance allowing police superintendent Larry Snelling to renew, extend, or enter into a new agreement to keep ShotSpotter or another replacement system. Johnson rejects the premise that the council has the authority to sidestep his contracting authority, and vowed to veto the ordinance, which fell a vote shy of a veto-proof majority.
The ShotSpotter system uses acoustic sensors to detect gunshots in wards around Chicago and to alert first responders to their location. Supporters say it often sends help to gunshot victims even when no one has called 911.
Johnson has vowed to end the city’s association with ShotSpotter, in part to fulfill a campaign promise and appease the anti-police activists who helped elect him. On Tuesday, he dismissed the technology as nothing more than “walkie-talkies on a stick.”
He is slated to begin phasing out the system on Sunday and finish decommissioning it on November 22. A majority of the city’s aldermen oppose the move.
Last week, the police department released a data analysis that found that between January 1 and August 31, ShotSpotter alerts without corresponding 911 calls led to about 90 arrests as well as the recovery of about 90 guns and 5,000 bullet casings. During that eight-month period, at least seven gunshot victims received aid in cases where there was no 911 call.
During Wednesday’s debate, ShotSpotter’s supporters on the council called it an “invaluable” tool that “works” and helps to provide “life-saving care” to shooting victims. They noted that SoundThinking, the product’s parent company, has offered a new contract with a 48 percent discount to keep the system in the city.
Alderman Pat Dowell talked about a man who was shot in her ward in the “wee hours” of the morning in a section of the city with factories and vacant lots but no houses.
“Had not ShotSpotter alerted police, that man would have died just laying in the street, because nobody was going to call 911,” she said.
Alderman Monique Scott told Johnson not to “put a life over a campaign promise.”
“I’m scared for my residents,” she said. “I’m scared for my daughter. I’m scared for myself.”
Alderman Raymond Lopez said that with ShotSpotter slated to “go dark in four days,” there is fear in his community.
“African American and Latino communities are very concerned that we are playing a game of chicken with their lives right now, that we are using them as pawns to make a political point,” he said. He added that he didn’t want to be the first elected officials to have to tell the family of a murder victim that “your son or daughter was not worth the money,” and he was confident that Johnson didn’t “want to be that person either.”
A handful of aldermen spoke against ShotSpotter.
Alderman Jason Ervin suggested that ShotSpotter’s technology has discouraged community engagement and led to fewer people calling 911.
Alderman Andre Vasquez Jr. called SoundThinking a “shoddy business” that is selling the city “a bill of goods” in an effort to “keep the money coming.” He said it was ridiculous to take the mayor’s contracting power away and give it to one of the mayor’s employees.
Another alderman said he didn’t think it appropriate to involve the police superintendent in a conflict between the mayor and the council.
Alderman David Moore, who sponsored the ordinance, said, “I know, I know for a fact that [ShotSpotter] is helping” and that “it saves lives.” He denied being an opponent of Johnson, telling the mayor, “I know your heart is right.” He insisted he wanted to work with Johnson.
“We want you to succeed,” he said. “I want you to succeed.”
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to note that Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson said he intends to veto the city council ordinance to allow the police superintendent to contract with ShotSpotter.