Overview
- City officials confirm the search for a new gunshot‑detection system is ongoing but no contract has been awarded and no sensors have been installed since the system was dismantled about two years ago.
- Advocates, grieving families and clergy have pressed City Council hearings this week to either reinstate ShotSpotter temporarily or speed a replacement, saying faster detection can shorten police response and help solve crimes.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson says the administration will not rush contracts and cited a University of Chicago study that he says showed faster police response to serious 911 calls after ShotSpotter was ended.
- Procurement staff describe the vendor review as complex and confidential, warn the process could take 18 to 24 months, and the city has budgeted roughly $13.9 million and received bids from multiple vendors.
- The dispute highlights wider doubts about the technology’s value, with critics pointing to false or uncorroborated alerts and privacy concerns while supporters say sensors find shootings that go unreported, and the delay could affect summer public events and investigations.