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Residents urge Detroit City Council not to renew ShotSpotter and NICE surveillance contracts
Summary
Public commenters and local organizers told Detroit’s City Council the roughly $9.1 million in contracts with ShotSpotter and NICE Systems should not be renewed, urging the city to redirect funds to community violence intervention programs; councilmembers asked for more DPD data before deciding.
Public commenters at a Detroit City Council meeting pressed elected officials on the city’s surveillance contracts, urging the council to refuse renewal of agreements with ShotSpotter and NICE Systems.
Daniel Saeed, a construction engineer and member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee, told the council the two contracts total about $9,100,000 and called them “contracts for war profiteering,” urging the council to cancel them and spend the money on community programs instead. “These contracts amount to a total of $9,100,000,” Saeed said during public comment, and “money should be spent on other programs and other services that support our communities, not surveil our people.”
Other speakers echoed that demand. “Rather than surveilling black and brown communities,” 'Joe,' education chair of the Detroit Anti-War Committee, said the city should reinvest the funds in community violence intervention (CVI) work. Dr. Alexandria Trombley, a neuroscientist, cited accuracy and equity concerns and said ShotSpotter’s performance does not fit Detroit’s needs: callers and speakers at the meeting referenced a speaker-cited figure of a 78% inaccuracy rate and said sensors disproportionately target majority–people-of-color neighborhoods.
Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero (District 6) said she shares the concerns raised during public comment and wants data. “I have concerns of ShotSpotter,” Santiago Romero said. “I do not believe it works. I do believe it’s a waste of our money... We were supposed to get quarterly updates from DPD regarding ShotSpotter through PHS, and I believe we got that once. So really looking forward to seeing the data around what actually was helping reduce crime.” She encouraged prioritizing CVI and community programs while the council examines police data.
The council did not vote to cancel or otherwise change the contracts during the meeting. Multiple speakers characterized the contracts as up for renewal this summer (commenters cited a June renewal), and speakers urged the administration and DPD to provide the return-on-investment and accuracy data the council needs to make an informed decision. Member Santiago Romero asked staff and DPD for accountability and more frequent reporting so the council can evaluate whether the contracts are delivering measurable public-safety benefits.
Next steps: councilmembers said they want to review DPD reporting and promised follow-up. No formal council action to terminate or pause the contracts was recorded at this meeting; public comments and council requests for data were the principal outcomes.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 563, topfinish SEG 2270.
