Chicago Mayor to End Contract With Gunfire Detection Company

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the city will cancel its contract with a gunfire-detecting technology company. SoundThinking is the company behind ShotSpotter, a gunfire detection system that relies on acoustic sensory technology dispersed throughout the city, which is fed into a processing unit and user interface that displays alerts signaling when there is gunfire. According to Mr. Johnson’s office, the contract expires in February and the technology will be decommissioned in September. Until then, law enforcement will “assess tools and programs that effectively increase both safety and trust” as well as “work to revamp operations” to reduce violent crime. “Moving forward, the City of Chicago will deploy its resources on the most effective strategies and tactics proven to accelerate the current downward trend in violent crime,” Mr. Johnson said in a press release. “Doing this work, in consultation with community, violence prevention organizations and law enforcement, provides a pathway to a better, stronger, safer Chicago for all.”...