Detroit City Council approves expansion of ShotSpotter to detect gunshots in the city

DETROIT (FOX 2) - After multiple delays, the Detroit City Council has voted to expand the controversial gunshot-detecting technology ShotSpotter, allocating millions of dollars for the program.

The council voted 5-4 on Tuesday to approve the expansion, which had been tabled three times this year already. The expansion allocates $7 million more in funding for ShotSpotter, which is after the city council approved a $1.5 million contract on Sept. 27.

That's a total of $8.5 million to detect gunshots that would expand to nine more neighborhoods.

City council meetings where ShotSpotter was discussed have drawn large crowds to the Tuesday meetings, with community members falling on both sides of the debate. Some don't believe it's the best way to spend the money, which comes from a Covid relief package that came from the federal government. 

Others argue the technology could replace the 911 calls that fail to come in after gunshots happen.

Related: Guns, narcotics seized after ShotSpotter leads Detroit police to suspects

Detroit police have continually pushed for ShotSpotter, with the chief saying it would add to the department's techniques it can use to fight crime.

"When we look at ShotSpotter the data is there," said DPD Chief James White in September. "We need every tool that we can have at our disposal to save lives," White said during the council meeting."

Opponents criticized the ‘overfunding’ of the police department and said investing in surveillance to decrease crime isn't a viable solution.