[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74,86],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6076454,"mediaKeyId","2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e","parentId",2969601,"title","Little Rock board hears hours of public comment on ShotSpotter, pauses debate over ordinance","audioSeconds",2133,"startMs",2644000,"endMs",4777000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e&start=2644&end=4777","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e/thumbnail_2644000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6076454/Little-Rock-City/Pulaski-County/Arkansas/Little-Rock-board-hears-hours-of-public-comment-on-ShotSpotter-pauses-debate-over-ordinance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6076454-64fef048844ef317032d08a66fc479a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1769750645&Signature=PHdeVEmj5yFI63NPiTQ3-pWQA1IFBowFEir5abtGQ2iGXy6yrcE~CrvQsmVDYBhS~qjy9XtupbS49422tJWVKKfBUs61hXHAuqgmqJSbIYWTMAK5sWYfT2jKta08RYGIRzi-Lgz-PKhrdnqBSEbCe~MtuC-WxxU9xIs4lkF7IIt7u6n7NXGW6Uhr1xtNJwITAj2drZxEQn0~VkePVaE5Ru8GOAGii3l7M3qZhG0-WJhsZ1xzlh2jO6ZO~cKP7WUsBylhjxrPlXakf6VUIvn8Ug5KQNhvk0BkVz0TS9Lfkb8rnMEIc3-D1gVuGqU0Omjc9wNwYhegDUaTL~Oq7BFh0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Little Rock City ","date","2025-04-02T00:00:00Z","article","The Little Rock City Board of Directors spent more than three hours of public comment and debate on April 1 over renewing and expanding a gunshot-detection contract with SoundThinking (commonly called ShotSpotter), associated drone purchases and broader surveillance policies.

Supporters, including the Pulaski County prosecuting office and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, told the board the technology helps investigators and first responders reach scenes more quickly and has supported prosecutions. Opponents — neighborhood residents, civil liberties advocates, volunteer shelter workers and academic researchers — urged the board to refuse renewal, citing studies they said show high false‑alarm rates, racialized deployment and the risk of escalating police contact.

Why it matters: the ordinance under discussion would authorize continued use and a modest expansion of ShotSpotter’s coverage and related purchases. Board members raised legal and procedural questions about how the issue came back to the agenda, whether the item qualified as a sole‑source purchase, and what policy safeguards the city will require before adopting further surveillance systems.

Speakers described competing priorities: those concerned about violent crime and victims said any tool that helps investigators is valuable, while civil‑rights advocates said the city should invest in prevention and demand independent evaluation of the vendor’s data before contracting further. Amy Pritchard, an attorney and longtime city housing and policing reform advocate, said she had repeatedly sought records and policy discussions and described “intentional obfuscation” around related surveillance contracts and data sharing.

\"This isn't oversight, that's blind trust,\" Pritchard told the board, asking officials to \"withdraw this ordinance, reintroduce it properly, and let the people see what you're building.\" She said public policies and audits need to come first.

The city’s prosecutor and law enforcement supporters said ShotSpotter has been useful to investigations. In remarks describing case outcomes, a representative of the prosecuting office said the department has used ShotSpotter data in prosecutions and that the technology has assisted in building evidence for serious charges. \"When a shot is fired, there's no prevention left,\" the prosecutor said, arguing that the system gives victims and responders a better chance.

Police Chief Hilton answered council questions about how ShotSpotter alerts are handled: the system routes acoustic detections to the vendor’s screening center, which verifies alerts and then forwards them to 911 as priority calls; the department treats the system as an investigative tool rather than a preventive solution. Chief Hilton said losing the service would remove a resource investigators use, and that officers’ morale and recruiting can be affected when investigative tools are removed.

Board members pressed two overlapping process questions: (1) whether the vote to remove the item from the agenda earlier this year (an expungement/reconsideration) followed the city code and Robert’s Rules, and (2) whether the ShotSpotter contract is properly characterized as sole source because of proprietary sensors and the installed network.

Director Phillips said he would seek an ordinance to require more transparency, including surveillance impact reports, annual summaries of deployments and a community advisory committee, and he asked the city attorney and staff to provide clearer documentation of the sole‑source claim and the voting/expungement rules. The city attorney said the existing contract infrastructure and proprietary sensors are the practical reason the city relied on a sole‑source justification and that replacing the system wholesale would be substantially more expensive.

\"Further, regardless of prior statements, representations, or course of dealing by any ShotSpotter representative, we do not warrant or represent ... that the service or its use will result in prevention of crime ... or that the ShotSpotter supply network will remain in operation at all times,\" Director Phillips read from the 2018 contract as part of his criticism of vendor claims.

Outcome and next steps: board members debated motions on deferral and on calling the question; votes on procedural motions occurred in the meeting record but the transcript does not contain a final roll‑call approving a renewed multi‑year contract. Director Phillips moved to defer item 18 (the ordinance concerning the ShotSpotter renewal) and later said he would introduce follow‑up ordinances requiring independent evaluation, surveillance impact reports and community oversight if the technology remains in use.

Board members indicated sufficient interest in stronger oversight measures; several said they planned to draft or support ordinances to require publicly available audits, annual surveillance reports and community engagement before the system is expanded to additional wards.

\"We need policy to build trust,\" Director Phillips said. \"Independent evaluations is one way to do that.\" Ending: The board recessed later in the meeting for executive session and returned to other business; further votes on the ShotSpotter contract and related drone purchases were deferred for additional procedural and policy work according to several directors' remarks.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Little Rock City - Apr 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Little Rock City Board of Directors spent more than three hours of public comment and debate on April 1 over renewing and expanding a gunshot‑detection contract with SoundThinking (commonly called ShotSpotter), associated drone purchases and broader surveillance policies.","taxTitle","Little Rock City, Pulaski County, Arkansas","taxId",3741,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6076450,"Volunteers and residents urge Little Rock board to reverse temporary pit‑bull adoption restriction at Animal Village",537,917000,1454000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e&start=917&end=1454","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e/thumbnail_917000.jpg","/articles/6076450/Little-Rock-City/Pulaski-County/Arkansas/Volunteers-and-residents-urge-Little-Rock-board-to-reverse-temporary-pitbull-adoption-restriction-at-Animal-Village","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6076450-2b29898edad8177480c6aa19f0e98ae3/orig.mp4?Expires=1769750645&Signature=D6xuQp9ACjuW~YLgSMiwXEFlY4XihrMBx1phfZaLZ1jqojWuoYvYmNZzlm2RdX0NIQm8-Y45kXAwI5vcOhImr0w7f7qIvCRYgh-DwHZ8KB97caHrLm9ioNv4i6rKDam4Y51PbpZ5O0GEVAztfCpRE1k6mLfLA6grLcotBYh9Vb24fvDp-Ub8McLFvkzVoGBh1qyRZaid9kFta8yxz5NCudYGY6HeCi89~COTykKTx1m78MFEl4Nv48dQW5WF3MZB7NjtKRP3wD-MChcj4y-4nb-1yCA6tPaPvsiZvFqiYLpkR3Wk4JA41yU-nFcHguwPcJeCjajOPKd5uTWYXD3ZxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents and longtime volunteers of the Little Rock Animal Village used the public‑comment period on April 1 to oppose a recently implemented policy that limits adoption and rescue transfers of certain breeds, which speakers identified as pit‑bull type dogs.

Why it matters: volunteers said the policy has reduced the shelter’s live‑release rate and harms animals that otherwise pass strict in‑shelter behavioral screenings. Speakers asked the board to reverse or modify the policy and to support additional staffing and resources to improve outcomes.

Several volunteers described long records of service and first‑hand experience with the animals at the city shelter. \"These are amazing dogs,\" volunteer Shelley Sites told the board, adding that the shelter uses behavioral testing before adoption and that many dogs placed in homes are fully vetted and altered.

\"I come in support of the Little Rock Animal Village and its staff and I come in opposition to the new policy ... that prohibits the release of certain breeds of dogs via adoption or rescue pull,\" said Betsy Robb, who told the board she has volunteered since 2012 and estimated her total volunteer months in the shelter.

Other residents said they had difficulty reaching animal control and raised broader concerns about enforcement of city codes and neighborhood conditions. Several asked the board to invest in staffing, volunteer coordination and programs rather than breed‑based restrictions.

No formal vote or directive to reverse the policy appears in the transcript. The mayor asked planning and shelter staff to follow up on individual complaints and code enforcement referrals. Board members acknowledged the comments and said staff would check the shelter’s procedures and follow up with volunteers and complainants.

Quotes: \"We have lost some progress over the last few years ... adopting something like the policy that's been in effect the last week is not the way to do that,\" volunteer Betsy Robb said. Volunteer Kate Hall added, \"A ban on pit bulls means many will die with this policy. It is a death sentence for them.\"

Ending: The Animal Village speakers called for an immediate review of the temporary policy and for increased staffing and volunteer support; city staff committed to follow‑up but the board did not take a recorded formal action to change shelter policy during the April 1 meeting.","Dozens of volunteers and residents urged the Little Rock City Board of Directors on April 1 to rescind a recently implemented policy at the Little Rock Animal Village that restricts adoption or rescue transfers of certain breeds described by speakers as pit‑bull type dogs.",{"_32":87,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":88,"_40":89,"_42":90,"_44":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6076444,"Board approves consent‑agenda contracts and multiple ordinances on emergency readings",195,459000,654000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e&start=459&end=654","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2969601-6192a914ac38c9bbd953aa78bfafe43e/thumbnail_459000.jpg","/articles/6076444/Little-Rock-City/Pulaski-County/Arkansas/Board-approves-consentagenda-contracts-and-multiple-ordinances-on-emergency-readings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6076444-9f9dc691e64bf53e13cae9754ff9f23f/orig.mp4?Expires=1769750645&Signature=A~l6JyJ9zCZdOisxmLYowbCwNZ8OzKe-hGAMH3lUkexjuaIgmk98HTnKzLzeZ6aSAs0VQs6YfW~O9uVTRnquAr0PhzZcvyeKNj2LQ2CR-LImnwHA2eJL~TbZccQjTbxQO12qq6eBOD24qJFuJkDaa1WFyVjiMEw~bX9uyZwYD8mOUBuigooRka1o85xMJDmFtBl2sr9ityeIA0r7GY-GXb7M6eYNEbH~n~fP1CWmAyDk7kRNXTt1fGlkT~pyRyLndQQefMkRGJ-Ut1BwyrJ7fQJFscByXP~87~tOGL7ugAhyTkMP3hzOtEx-hPl6C6BlSLTNMHV1N9bQiA5cH-a4xQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Little Rock City Board of Directors approved a broad consent agenda and several ordinances on April 1 covering infrastructure contracts, zoo renovations, equipment purchases and property acquisition.

Key approved items (consent agenda, voice vote):
- Contract with Castillo Concrete Pool and Spa, Inc., not to exceed $187,446 — Pine Summit Court drainage improvement project (funded by limited tax general obligation capital improvement bonds).
- Contract with H.W. Tucker Company, Inc., not to exceed $435,094.80 — Preston Drive area drainage phase 1 reconstruction (limited tax G.O. bonds).
- Contract with Swayze LLC, not to exceed $372,484.80 — West 204th Street reconstruction (limited tax G.O. bonds).
- Contract with Swayze LLC, not to exceed $240,588 — Autumn Road widening (limited tax G.O. bonds).
- Contract with Landscape Structures Inc., not to exceed $900,000 plus taxes/fees — accessible playground at Reservoir Park.
- Purchase and equipment contract with Unmanned Vehicle Technologies Inc., not to exceed $56,024.78 plus taxes/fees — six Anzu Robotics Raptor T drones for Little Rock Police Department (consent item language in agenda).
- Use of Arkansas Department of Transportation active supplier list for aggregate purchase, not to exceed $200,000 — Public Works, Solid Waste Division.
- 90‑day extension with Risk Management Resources for third‑party administration of city self‑funded workers' compensation program (04/01/2025 to 06/30/2025).
- Cromwell Architects & Engineers contract, not to exceed $75,600 — City Hall emergency wall repair.
- Flynn Co. contract, not to exceed $11,332,000 — Little Rock Zoo 2025 entry bond renovations and upgrades.
- Additional funding to Little Rock Repair Shop, not to exceed $15,200 — ongoing maintenance on rides/carousels.
- Purchase of 3600 W. 11th St. for facility‑based housing using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds.

In addition, the board conducted readings and adopted several emergency ordinances after three readings. Meeting minutes show unanimous or voice‑vote approval for the listed ordinances, which included revisions to municipal code sections governing notices to vacate, emergency abatements, residential parking rules and the demolition/abandonment of severely dilapidated residential structures.

Why it matters: The consent items allocate capital‑improvement funds to multiple street and drainage projects, advance city park accessibility and authorize zoo renovations among other operational purchases. The drone equipment purchase was included on the consent agenda and discussed separately during the public comments on surveillance.

Vote details: The consent agenda was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript records \"Aye\" for passage but does not provide individual roll‑call counts for each consent item. Several ordinances were presented for first, second and third readings; the board recorded \"Ayes have it\" when adopting the third readings and an emergency clause for some items was adopted by voice vote.

Ending: The board moved to executive session later in the meeting and returned to confirm appointments to certain boards and commissions; the consent agenda items and the emergency ordinances noted above were recorded as approved in the meeting record.","The Little Rock City Board adopted a consent agenda including construction and procurement contracts, a property purchase for facility‑based housing and several emergency ordinances after three readings; the meeting record shows voice votes in favor for consent and for third readings where called.","actionData","errors"]

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Little Rock board hears hours of public comment on ShotSpotter, pauses debate over ordinance

Volunteers and residents urge Little Rock board to reverse temporary pit‑bull adoption restriction at Animal Village

Board approves consent‑agenda contracts and multiple ordinances on emergency readings