Police Oversight Commission to Receive Presentation on ShotSpotter

The Police Oversight Commission will receive a presentation on ShotSpotter and the possible renewal of the City’s contract for the technology.

In 2021, the Pasadena City Council approved a $640,000, three-year contract for the gunfire sound recognition system, technology that deploys microphones and sensors in certain neighborhoods to determine the location of gunshots and quickly alerts police.

At that point, the police were attempting to curb a two-year spike in gun violence that led to 300 calls for service from people reporting hearing shots being fired, and an additional 400 incidents of gun-related crimes.

During the same period, nearly 40 members of the Pasadena community were killed or injured as a result of gun violence.

Close to 700 firearms were seized by police officials, including untraceable ghost guns.

Police said the system, which records loud, impulsive sounds and alerts police in 60 seconds or less about the location of the gunshot, would save lives, deter shootings, and prevent the need to investigate non-gunfire-related incidents, such as fireworks.

City officials called the technology a tool to fight crime.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union and some local residents have expressed concerns over the technology.

The group claimed the system would end up harming the most vulnerable populations in this city who they claim have been “overpoliced, oversurveilled, and undervalued in recent years.”

However, some jurisdictions have seen success with the technology.

Locally, between July 1 and Sept. 30, Pasadena police responded to 18 ShotSpotter alerts, according to a report on the department’s website.

In those cases, three of the alerts are listed as probable gunfire. Ten of the alerts involved multiple gunshots. In 11 of the cases, police did not receive any 911 call correlating to the shots fired.

In Boston, the system alerted police to the area of a shooting. As police arrived, two men fled. The men were arrested after a foot pursuit, and two firearms were recovered.

Still, other cities have stopped using the technology altogether.

Chicago became the biggest City not to renew its contract. Privacy advocates claimed the technology led to a disproportionate number of police stops in poor and minority neighborhoods.

The contract became a political talking point when Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to get rid of it during his campaign. After the election, Johnson battled the City Council over ending the contract.