Overview
- The City Council voted to disable and remove the gunfire‑detection system ShotSpotter within about 90 days after more than a decade of use and periodic reviews.
- Supporters of the ban pointed to studies and local experience showing high rates of alerts that produce no evidence of gunfire and to concerns that the company, not the city, controls the recorded data.
- The Cambridge Police Patrol Officers Association said the move will slow responses and remove a tool that has sometimes flagged shootings not reported to 911, and two councilors published an opinion defending the system’s life‑saving potential.
- SoundThinking, the vendor that runs ShotSpotter, said it is reviewing the council’s decision and defended the technology as a way to speed response, preserve privacy, and aid evidence collection.
- Federal Urban Area Security Initiative grant money currently covers the city’s roughly $50,000 annual ShotSpotter subscription and the vote joins a wider national reappraisal of acoustic gunfire sensors and alternatives for violence prevention.