The Detroit City Council on Tuesday narrowly voted to renew the city’s contract with SoundThinking for its ShotSpotter gunshot detection system.The decision will allow the California-based company to continue providing crime-fighting technology through the end of March 2027. The system will deploy acoustic sensors mounted above city streets to detect gunfire-like sounds and automatically alert law enforcement when a suspected shot is fired.According to Michigan Advance, the measure passed by a 5–4 vote, with several councilmembers and critics citing high costs and privacy concerns during Tuesday’s hearing.NORTHEASTERN CITY VOTES TO END SHOTSPOTTER CONTRACT FOR GUNFIRE-DETECTION TECH DESIGNED TO FIGHT CRIMEShotSpotter gunshot detection technology is seen in use on a light pole in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood in February.(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)Council President James Tate, who has historically supported ShotSpotter in Detroit, reportedly opposed the renewal, arguing that the $2.1 million price tag was difficult to justify. "I have a challenge with that dollar amount.
It’s not about the technology," Tate said. "When asked, would they renegotiate the contract, the answer was no, because we’ve been giving you a deal in the first place, so that leads me now to a situation where I cannot support this particular amendment."HOW SURVEILLANCE TECH LED POLICE TO ACCUSE THE WRONG PERSONThe Detroit skyline is seen from the water in Detroit, Mich.(Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket)Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who voted against the measure, said her opposition stemmed from a lack of data showing the technology’s effectiveness, Michigan Advance reported. "Frankly, I still have not heard enough support from the public, have not seen data that shows that this is working for the cost and that it’s actually protecting our information," Santiago-Romero said. Gabrielle Dresner, a policy strategist for the...