Police Oversight Commission Approves Recommendation For ShotSpotter Contract Renewal After Lengthy Debate

The City’s Police Oversight Commission on Thursday voted to recommend the City Council renew the police department’s contract with ShotSpotter, a gunshot triangulation technology that zeroes in on gunshots allowing police to respond quickly.

The recommendation also calls for the Police Department to return to the commission every six months to discuss the efficacy of the technology.

The Department has returned to the City Council and the City Council’s Public Safety Committee for updates in the past.

“Sometimes certain things come up regarding the police department,” said Commissioner Teddy Bedjakian, who supported the contract renewal. “I feel like there’s a lot of people in the community that are against anything that goes on with the police department.”

The system recorded 49 shootings in 2022, 56 in 2023 and so far 22 this year.

Despite those numbers, some people still said the City should not renew the contract because it does not prevent gun violence.

“I want there to be less gun violence in Pasadena,” said commenter Yadi. “ShotSpotter does not do that. I don’t need to go into all the data to go and nitpick on the accuracy of the gunshot detection system or the 150 homemade bombs that went off that ShotSpotter didn’t catch because it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t deter people from shooting people in Pasadena.”

But the City has never claimed the system would get to the root of crime. Instead, it has been described as one tool the City can use to fight gun violence.

After sensors detect a gunshot, it alerts the police in 60 seconds. According to the company, the quick alerts increase the chance to save lives.

The system notification also means police don’t have to rely on 911 calls to get information on shots fired incidents.

Nationwide, fewer than 20% of all gunshots are reported to 911 dispatchers. ShotSpotter technology eliminates the reliance on delayed and/or unreported calls and the immediate alerts enable officers to mobilize and safely respond to the incident quickly.

Locally, between July 1 and Sept. 30, Pasadena police responded to 18 ShotSpotter alerts, according to a report on the department’s website. In 11 of the cases, police did not receive any 911 call correlating to the shots fired.

The gunfire data can also provide investigating officers with detailed information to improve evidence collection, prosecution and overall crime-fighting efforts.

However in some cases, like when a revolver is used, there is less likely to be evidence or shell casings at a crime scene even if ShotSpotter zeroes in on the gunfire.

The original three-year contract cost the City $640,000.

If the City Council renews the contract, the City would have to pay $661,500.

“ShotSpotter is not a preventative measure and it’s kind of being presented as if it is, but it’s not,” said Commissioner Raúl Ibáñez. “It’s a surveillance technology. So that’s where I struggle with how this is being presented.”

The rise in law enforcement’s use of technology has left many people concerned about unlawful surveillance.

The use of technology continues to grow.

In Chula Vista, police use drones as first responders to increase response times. The drones are launched from several sites within the City.

In June a legal battle erupted over that city’s refusal to turn over footage from the drones.

Pasadena currently is not using that program.

“I got folks that aren’t here that might be here if there was a faster response,” said Commission Chair Esprit Jones.

The system went live in Pasadena on February 9, 2022, following a rise in violent crimes driven by gun violence.

In the second incident during its first week on the job, officers alerted by Pasadena’s ShotSpotter system arrived at the scene of a shooting within 60 seconds, where they found and aided an injured victim.

“I really would want to challenge all of us to think about a world where we don’t need shot spotter, where we have preventative measures in place because we keep talking about saving lives, we keep talking about injuries, we keep talking about loss of life,” Ibanez said. “But I would like us to focus on the preventative measures that keep that from happening in the first place.”