CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After Chicago Police Officer Luis Huesca was shot and killed over the weekend in Gage Park, a member of the Chicago City Council is calling attention to the ongoing debate over whether ShotSpotter belongs in the city.
Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), whose ward includes parts of Gage Park, credited ShotSpotter for alerting police to the fatal shooting.
"For all of those imbeciles wanting to remove ShotSpotter from our communities, consider this: Police were alerted to the fallen officer five minutes before anyone called 911," Lopez wrote on social media. "That extra time is invaluable, and you blissfully choose to ignore that fact."
The attention to ShotSpotter came as Mayor Brandon Johnson has pledged to cancel the city's contract with the company. Chicago is currently slated to stop using the technology this fall.
The Chicago Police Department has stood by ShotSpotter's role in alerting authorities swiftly.
Last week, alderpersons who support SpotSpotter hoped to vote on a measure that would give Chicago City Council the power to decide the technology's future in the city — a move that would take the decision out of Johnson's hands.
Two of Johnson's allies, though, successfully moved to delay the vote. As of Monday, no date had been announced regarding when the city council would decide the issue.
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