A recent comprehensive analysis unveiled by a public defense group has provided potent critique against the effectiveness of gunfire detection technology, with statistics showing its marginal contribution to firearms-related crime detection in New York City. The findings suggested an alarming negligible impact, with less than 1 percent of alerts generated by the city’s ShotSpotter system over almost a decade leading to the discovery of a firearm or the pinpointing of a gun crime perpetrator.
Since 2015, New York City’s ShotSpotter system has reportedly produced over 75,000 gunshot alerts. Contrary to expectations, the New York City Police Department could only confidently affirm that a paltry 16.57 percent of these alerts were the result of actual gunshots. This raises firm questions about the effectiveness and precision of the system, as a large volume of these alerts were in reality related to disruptive noises including fireworks or construction, as outlined in the report.
The analysis is a comprehensive reflection of nine years of collected data, including meticulous assessments made by department employees tasked with differentiating between genuine and false alerts. This delves beyond simple statistics, paving the way for a nuanced understanding of the system’s pitfalls and limitations.
Engaging in a contract with SoundThinking, the creators behind ShotSpotter, New York City stands poised on the brink of a significant decision. As the contracte nears its end-of-term this month, the city would have committed over $54 million in funds towards this technology.
Gunfire detection sensors, aside from their questioned effectiveness, have been a hotbed for criticism from numerous civil rights activists and neighborhood collectives. One of the central pivots of discontent has been the noticeably skewed installation of these sensors, primarily in areas with a majority of minority communities.
Critics argue that this distribution pattern is disproportionate and potentially discriminatory. Additionally, another bone of contention is the unfortunately expected response from law enforcement officials triggered by these alerts- a response that often anticipates the presence of a shooter, even when this might not be the case.
Reservations about the ShotSpotter system were echoed earlier this year when an auditing office published a compelling study of the alerts over a span of eight months. The office posited that a disproportionately low 13 percent of the alerts could be definitively associated with actual gunfire.
Inevitably, the office’s conclusions came with a stern caveat: it did not advise the renewal of its ShotSpotter contract unless there were significant enhancements in oversight and accountability mechanisms associated with the gunshot detection technology. This positions the future use of such technologies in a crossroad, balancing between the need for technology-aided crime detection and the demand for effective law enforcement practices.
Further cementing the concerns about ShotSpotter effectiveness, an Office of Inspector General report in 2021 shared that over the course of 17-months, a mere 9 percent of ShotSpotter alerts managed to find a connection with a gun-related crime. This statistic extrapolates a worryingly low contribution of the technology to actual solving of firearms crimes.
These findings could add to the mounting concerns surrounding the efficacy of this technology across different cities, not just in New York. Such statistics and observations may inadvertently shake confidence in these technologies and may stimulate the need for more useful, effective, and less controversial technological solutions.
This year, one impactful development from another large American city confronted these controversies firsthand. The city of Chicago moved decisively, taking an assertive step by discontinuing its contractual ties with SoundThinking. Their contract cancellation may pave the way for wider discussions about the effectiveness and utility of such sensors for urban policing.
These criticisms secured against gunshot detection technologies like ShotSpotter necessitate a serious reflection on their usage, costs, and effectiveness. The demand for higher accountability and improved precision must be addressed for such technologies to prove their worth and justify their associated costs.
As cities continue to grapple with the complexity of violence and crime in urban spaces, solutions such as gunshot sensors need to demonstrate their true capacity to contribute positively. Cohesive blending of effective technology and human-led policing might secure safer city environments moving forward, always with a fundamental commitment to civil rights and fairness.