(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – The city of Chicago has signed a contract extension with the company that runs ShotSpotter, avoiding a shutoff of the technology overnight, the Johnson Administration said Friday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson this week fulfilled a campaign promise to end use of the controversial gunshot-detection system that police use to respond to shootings.
Johnson had hoped to keep ShotSpotter through the summer, which will include the Democratic National Convention, but SoundThinking Inc. signaled it might pull out, because no arrangement had been made to go beyond Feb. 16.
Friday, Johnson’s office said a contract extension will run until Sept. 22. No details were immediately released.
Critics have said ShotSpotter is not as accurate as it’s cracked up to be and may create more problems than it solves by sending cops into highly- policed neighborhoods. Proponents of the technology, including several aldermen, say it directs police to crime scenes and victims.
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