Freeport expanding contract with gunshot-detection service ShotSpotter

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — Police in Freeport will soon have the ability to track where gunshots are occurring in more portions of the city.

On Monday night, aldermen approved an expanded agreement with SoundThinking, the company formerly known as ShotSpotter.

The system uses small audio sensors placed throughout the city to triangulate the sound of gunfire and pinpoint the number of shots fired at that location.

The benefit is that it allows officers to respond to a location sometimes before a crime is reported.

Under the new, three-year deal, the coverage of SoundThinking will double the area which is currently covered.

The agreement increases the price of the service to $49,000 a year.

The system has sometimes been criticized for inaccuracy, racial bias and law enforcement misuse.

Community public safety groups in Chicago argued that the system sends police officers to predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods for often unnecessary and hostile encounters. Cities including Charlotte, North Carolina, and San Antonio, Texas, have ended their ShotSpotter contracts over inaccuracies, such as mistaking fireworks for gunshots.

Chicago announced it would not be renewing a $50 million contract with the company.

ShotSpotter was adopted in Rockford in 2017, with a pricetag of $250,000 a year.

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