The City of Detroit is weighing proposals that could replace ShotSpotter, the controversial gunshot detection program — but the Detroit Police Department wants a 9-month, 2 million dollar extension to the contract while city officials mull it over.
ShotSpotter, hosted by SoundThinking, uses acoustic sensors placed outdoors around the city to identify shots fired and alert police to the location.
‘Is it actually doing anything to help us?”
The technology has drawn ire from some Detroit community members over potential privacy and data management concerns. Gabrielle Dresner, a policy strategist at the ACLU of Michigan, says there is always a privacy risk when contracting with an external surveillance system.
“There's always privacy concerns where surveillance technology is installed, thinking about who has access to that data, how long is the data stored? What can it be used for?” Dresner said.
ShotSpotter maintains that raw audio data from ShotSpotter sensors that does not result in a confirmed gunshot is automatically deleted every 30 hours.
Dresner also said targeted placing of sensors could lead to increased over-policing of marginalized neighborhoods.
“Looking at communities that are surveilled already and do have more policing, where these audio sensors are deployed, it's going to further that idea that the neighborhoods are, quote, dangerous.”
The city is currently weighing proposals from three companies that provide gunshot detection services. Submissions to the request for proposals closed on March 31 with three bids: SoundThinking, Eagle Protection Agency and Motorola Solutions.
DPD’s contract extension request – introduced to City Council May 12 — has been referred to the Detroit Public Health and Safety Standing Committee, all three members of which have expressed skepticism about the proposal.
At a June 1 committee meeting, City Council Member Denzel McCampbell said the city might be better served by further investing in its Community Violence Intervention programs.
“In addition to being able to respond to these aspects is also, ‘How do we prevent them in the first place?” McCampbell said. “When we are seeing a contract extension, when we are seeing more revenue or more dollars needed for that, that is the quest that we have to answer: Should that go to something else to help the preventive side?”
The city’s existing contract with SoundThinking was signed in 2020. The company credits ShotSpotter with a 26% reduction in fatal shootings and a 43% reduction in shots fired in the city 2022. DPD Chief Todd Bettison said the technology led to 256 arrests in 2025 and has been “a key to allowing us to find the evidence and also get guns that are used to shoot off the streets in the city.”
Some, however, are less sure. A recent study found that ShotSpotter deterred gunshot reporting but had no measurable impact on the average officer response time and rates of non-fatal shootings and homicide arrests in Detroit.
Researchers analyzed data from the City of Detroit Open Data Portal and a Freedom of Information Act request to DPD. Divya Ramjee, an assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology co-authored the study. She said more data transparency regarding things like mortality rates, homicide rates, firearm case clearances, EMS response times, and victim outcomes could have resulted in a more conclusive study.
“We know that they are in the community and that they'll alert for a gunshot, but we don't know, ‘Is it actually doing anything to help us?” Ramjee said. “If I am a victim, is it better for me to have that technology there? Will it get me help faster? We don't have anything as people in the regular general public to understand if that's going to help us or not.”
Detroit considers competing surveillance proposals
The RFP also indicated the intention to expand gunshot detection technology into two new police precincts in downtown and southwest Detroit.
Ramjee said it is easy to assume that high-tech products like ShotSpotter are working, but that any city who wants to enter into a contract with a gunshot detection system should evaluate companies rigorously.
“We always want to jump, sort of, at the new flashy thing, you know, ‘Algorithmic tech helping to solve gun crimes’ sounds great,” Ramjee said. “But as a city, as a community, when you're thinking about ‘What should we invest millions of dollars in?’ Maybe take a minute and think, what do we want to have as the impact? Are there ways we can measure it?”
Dresner said Detroit should incorporate more community feedback into policing decisions, including whether the city needs an acoustic gunshot detection system at all.
“I think with all surveillance technology, we need to be cautious with proceeding with those contracts,” Dresner said. “Surveillance does not equal safety, and so when we are looking at safety and how to create a safer community, I don't think that surveillance has to be the answer.”
A spokesperson for SoundThinking declined to comment directly but expressed appreciation for the company's work with the city.
"Since 2021, SoundThinking has been a committed partner to the Detroit Police Department and the Detroit community, providing life-saving gunshot detection service and contributing to the City’s public safety efforts,” the spokesperson said. “As we are active participants in the current RFP for the next phase of the City’s gunshot detection strategy, we cannot comment directly. We look forward to the opportunity to build upon our record of service with Detroit."
DPD did not respond to a request for comment.
