Q&A Part 1: Deputy Mayor on Chicago Ending ShotSpotter and City’s Next Steps

Chicago Ends Contract with ShotSpotter

ShotSpotter and Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood (Photo Credits: chicagojustice.org and Chicago Mayor’s Office).

Deputy Mayor Gatewood on ShotSpotter

Depending on who you talk to, ShotSpotter’s end either means that police response to shootings will be hindered, ultimately leading to an uptick in crime, or without it, Black and Brown communities won’t be overpoliced. The city is doing away with a technology whose effectiveness has been questioned.

Mayor Johnson recently issued a request for information (RFI) for the city to obtain recommendations for alternatives to ShotSpotter, referred to as “first responder technology.”

Conversations with Deputy Mayor Gatewood

Tacuma Roeback: I’d like to start with three statements that I’d like you to respond to. The first is the notion that Chicago is vulnerable without ShotSpotter. The second is an alderman, who was reported as saying, “I want to protect my residents. I want to protect everybody in the city. And maybe there are options we can look at—but we don’t just snatch it.” Then, CPD data found that Shot Spotter correctly identified gunfire in 99.6% of the nearly 30,000 alerts between January and August. How would you respond to those statements?

Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood: So I would disagree with that, and the reason I would disagree with that is because of the work of the city, the work of the Chicago Police Department, and our partnerships, our community violence interrupters, our folks on the ground, and the work that happens, the level of crime and the level of decreasing crime that we have seen is not based on one piece of technology.

It’s based on the work that has happened between all of these agencies and community members partnering together. Obviously, these times call for deeper partnership and deeper collaboration. We do know that it’s important that when folks see issues, or they hear of issues, they call the police and that the police respond. Obviously, our police know how to respond. We have great leadership with Supt. (Larry) Snelling and his whole leadership team. So, no, the city is not vulnerable. This is not doomsday. The city is prepared to continue to show up for all 2.7 million folks in the city of Chicago.

Addressing Pushback from City Council Members

Roeback: It was reported that Supt. Snelling was indeed in favor of the technology. What’s your response to that, and even his endorsement of it?

Deputy Mayor Gatewood: How I would respond to that is the superintendent has made clear that the Chicago Police Department will continue to show up for the residents of the city of Chicago, regardless of the piece of technology. And we all want people to call 911. We want to keep showing up for the citizens of Chicago. You’ve probably seen a statement that came out Sunday night (Sept. 22), which reiterated that it’s time that we continue to build the relationships we have with communities. We continue to show up.

Alternative Technology Options

Roeback: There were comments by some aldermen who say that they see (ShotSpotter) as a way to protect their residents, what would you say to that alderman I quoted?

Deputy Mayor Gatewood: Well, what I would say in general, and not just to the alderman you quoted because I don’t know who that is.

Roeback: It’s attributed to [Ald. Monique Scott (24th)].

Deputy Mayor Gatewood: We’re always happy to work with Alderman Scott. We’ve done a lot of work with her in her community, from standing up Emergency Assistance Centers to building out our rapid response protocol hand-in-hand with her team. And we’ve done a lot of work in North Lawndale.

Continuing Community Partnerships

Roeback: Now that ShotSpotter is no longer in use. What is the city doing now to make sure that safety isn’t affected, especially in those areas that really relied on it?

Deputy Mayor Gatewood: Let me be clear on this. We say, some areas really relied on it. These areas have always relied on community police partnership, and we will continue to make those relationships stronger because it’s important.

I know I’ve said it a few times that we continue to show up for the people of Chicago, and it’s not just about technology. It was never, ever going to be just about technology. What I will also say is that if we have a conversation about technology in general, the investments that this mayor has made in policing, we’re already seeing a lot of the results from that.

We have gone so far along without having updated technology and equipment like helicopters, right? And we’ve had some helicopters out of date. I’m sure you saw the press conference. We unveiled the new helicopter for the Chicago Police Department. We have two more coming in December.

We still have our license plate readers, and we obviously still have our cameras. We still have the people who show up for the people in these neighborhoods. And we’re going to continue to do that work together. So, it was never one piece of technology that led to the downward trend in crime that we had seen. What leads to this is the partnerships we will have and will continue to have going forward.

Conclusion

The city of Chicago is moving forward without ShotSpotter, a technology whose effectiveness has been questioned. Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood emphasized the importance of community police partnerships and the city’s continued investment in policing. The city is exploring alternative technology options and continuing to build relationships with community members and leaders.

FAQs

Q: What is the city doing to ensure safety without ShotSpotter?

A: The city is focusing on community police partnerships and continued investment in policing. We are also exploring alternative technology options.

Q: What is the city’s stance on ShotSpotter’s effectiveness?

A: The city has questioned the effectiveness of ShotSpotter and has decided to end its contract.

Q: What is the city doing to address pushback from City Council Members?

A: The city is continuing to work with City Council Members and exploring alternative technology options.

Q: What is the city’s plan for addressing crime in areas that relied on ShotSpotter?

A: The city is focusing on community police partnerships and continued investment in policing. We are also exploring alternative technology options and continuing to build relationships with community members and leaders.