Chicago launches public safety technology pilot two years after ShotSpotter ended
Chicago launches public safety technology pilot two years after ShotSpotter ended
Chicago is preparing to launch a new public safety technology pilot program, two years after the city discontinued ShotSpotter.
CHICAGO - Chicago is preparing to launch a new public safety technology pilot program, two years after the city discontinued ShotSpotter.
New public safety technology pilot
The backstory:
The pilot will be tested in six police districts, including the 7th District, which serves Englewood. The program is expected to begin within the next two weeks.
But the city has released few details about how the pilot will work, which technology or vendors will be involved, or how much it will cost.
In a statement to Fox Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the goal is to determine what works, protects residents’ civil rights and improves public safety before the city makes any long-term commitments.
The statement did not explain how the city will measure the program’s effectiveness, how long testing will last or whether the results will be made public before a decision is made about moving forward.
Joseph Williams, a 7th District police council member, said he welcomes the pilot and has heard positive feedback from residents.
"We had a meeting last night and our seniors talked about it. They would love to see a technology or some system to replace ShotSpotter that will come into our community and get officers to those responses a bit faster to make sure when things happen they can be tracked down. I’ve had great feedback from community," Williams said.
Williams said residents are interested in a system that could help officers respond more quickly when emergencies happen.
What's next:
The city has not yet provided additional details about the pilot or explained what criteria it will use to determine whether the program should continue.
The Source: The information in this report came from statements from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office and 7th District Police Council member Joseph Williams.