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Minneapolis will keep using ShotSpotter gunshot detection… for now

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Published  September 19, 2024 6:25pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9

Minneapolis extends ShotSpotter contract

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously Thursday to expand and extend its contract to use the gunshot detection technology known as ShotSpotter through 2026, despite facing criticism from some city leaders about its effectiveness.

The Brief

    • ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection system that uses acoustic sensors to pinpoint the location of gunshots and alert police.
    • Minneapolis will expand ShotSpotter’s footprint, including a new coverage area on the south side of the city.
    • Critics say Shotspotter has a negative impact on communities of color and doesn’t actually help with crime. A FOX 9 Investigators analysis in 2021 found the technology led to only a small amount of arrests.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously Thursday to expand and extend its contract to use the gunshot detection technology known as ShotSpotter through 2026, despite facing criticism from some city leaders about its effectiveness.

What do we know?

Minneapolis council members approved a measure to expand the coverage area of ShotSpotter by 0.6 square miles to include the Loring Park neighborhood. The council also approved extending the contract with Sound Thinking, which owns ShotSpotter, through March 2027. 

What are they saying?

Speaking ahead of the vote, Councilmember Jason Chavez criticized ShotSpotter’s effectiveness against gun violence.

"I have ShotSpotter in my neighborhoods and people are still dropping like flies," Chavez said. "I’ll be supporting this despite my concerns about over-policing people of color in our neighborhoods and despite the lack of data that shows that this works."

Councilmember LaTrisha Vetaw said she’s heard from many of her constituents who don’t want ShotSpotter to be removed as a policing tool.

"If one person’s life is being saved, I think it’s worth it," Vetaw said.

Context

A ShotSpotter spokesperson told the FOX 9 Investigators back in 2021 that the technology "can be effective in saving lives, reducing gun violence and enhancing community trust." 

However, a FOX 9 analysis of ShotSpotter data over a 21-month period from January 2020 through September 2021 shows activations rarely led to evidence of a crime. 

According to the data, MPD responded to ShotSpotter activations roughly 8,500 times during that time frame. About 80% of the time, officers found no evidence of a gun-related crime. Only 32 activations during that time period led to an arrest – which is less than 1% of the time. 

"I think the big concerns here are that we don’t know how effective it is," ACLU analyst Jay Stanley previously said. "We don't know how often it's sending police officers into communities on high alert for no reason because of false alarms."

Seeking answers 

Earlier this month, MPD Chief Brian O’Hara told city leaders during a committee hearing that "we don’t have any evidence of over-policing because of this." 

While Minneapolis police have used ShotSpotter for more than a decade, there has been no independent study of how the technology is working. 

"It is shocking to me that we didn’t have this oversight tool over a contract that we pour millions of dollars into," said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury. 

The city council is now seeking an independent audit of ShotSpotter and its effectiveness, which should be completed by the next time the next contract is up for consideration in 2026.