CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - We're still waiting to hear from City Hall whether there's been an agreement to extend the City's contract with the company that operates the ShotSpotter gunfire detection system.
The agreement expires at midnight.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wants to do away with the ShotSpotter system in Chicago but not until the City gets through the summer and the Democratic National Convention. ShotSpotter's parent company SoundThinking said it wants a minimum one-year extension.
ShotSpotter tells police where shootings are coming from.
"We don't want to just simply react to something that happened," Johnson said. "We want to prevent those acts from happening."
Meanwhile, the consulting firm Edgeworth Economics did a study of 2022 Chicago Police ShotSpotter data. It found that, of the nearly 800 shootings involving homicides and gun batteries, police were alerted by ShotSpotter, but in more than 25% of the cases no 911 calls came in about those shootings.
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling previously expressed support for keeping ShotSpotter.
Ald. David Moore introduced an ordinance that would reverse the mayor's decision. It's headed for the Rules Committee, which is sometimes a limbo for legislation.
Listen to our new podcast Looped In: Chicago
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram I TikTok
