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Alderman requests debate as committee moves $1.1M ShotSpotter renewal; public commenters question effectiveness
Summary
An ordinance to renew ShotSpotter services for $1,100,012 was placed on debate after aldermen asked for targeted deployment and ROI information; public commenters questioned investing more than $1 million in the technology and urged focus on housing and neighborhood improvements instead.
The Committee considered an ordinance to renew a professional-services agreement with SoundThinking Inc. for ShotSpotter gun-detection services in an amount cited at $1,100,012 for the Springfield Police Department. The ordinance was moved and then placed on debate after Alderman McGregor (speaker 15) asked for a conversation with the police chief about deployment strategy and community impact.
Alderman McGregor argued the city should ensure the technology is deployed where it delivers returns and benefits communities where investments were originally targeted. "We're gonna continue to spend millions of dollars on these things. I wanna make sure that those communities... are being addressed," he said, urging staff to discuss how ShotSpotter fits into broader strategies such as housing, lighting and alley cleanup that national studies show can reduce crime.
During public comment, Aaron Cahill (speaker 4) criticized spending on ShotSpotter without parallel neighborhood investments and questioned its proven effectiveness: "Over $1,000,000 for ShotSpotter still. What have we done in the areas of ShotSpotter to fix the community? Have we fixed abandoned buildings? Have we bulldozed garbage buildings that don't need to be there?" The committee agreed to debate the contract renewal and requested further conversation with police leadership.
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