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Committee authorizes $400,000 pilot for ShotSpotter gunshot‑detection system with conditions
Summary
The Budget and Finance Committee approved release of $400,000 in reserves for a one‑year ShotSpotter pilot in the Bayview and Western Addition, with MOCJ/DTIS required to report on initial efficacy 60 days after installation and consider expansion to the Mission and Tenderloin if effective.
Richard Robinson, Chief Operations Officer for the Department of Telecommunications and Information Services, and Mikhail Ali of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice asked the committee to release $400,000 of reserve funds for a one‑year ShotSpotter gunshot‑location pilot. The proposed pilot would deploy acoustic sensors in two areas identified by the San Francisco Police Department as having high rates of shootings and homicides (Bayview and Western Addition).
Supervisor Tom Ammiano questioned why the Mission District was not included; Mikhail Ali and other staff said SFPD determined siting based on multi‑year violent‑crime analysis and that budget constraints required prioritizing the most impacted neighborhoods for an initial pilot. Ali said the pilot is intended to be evaluated and possibly expanded if effective.
Budget and staff discussion noted that about $379,000 of the $400,000 is associated with sensors and sensitive location details were not disclosed in the committee memo because of policy considerations; the Budget Analyst said DTIS had not provided a detailed breakdown in time for analysts, though the department later said it had provided data to the Budget Analyst Office. The committee requested written documentation of SFPD involvement in siting decisions and asked MOCJ/DTIS to return with post‑installation efficacy data.
MOCJ/DTIS agreed to present an efficacy report 60 days after installation and to revisit inclusion of Mission District locations if the pilot proves effective. With that commitment, the committee authorized the release of $400,000 in reserves to fund the pilot under delegated authority provided in the annual appropriations ordinance.
The committee's action included direction that the pilot’s efficacy be reviewed and that, if outcomes support expansion, the department and mayor’s office explore extending coverage to other hard‑hit areas such as the Mission and Tenderloin.
