Chicago Plans Gunshot-Detection Pilot Across Six Police Districts

Chicago is considering a renewed use of gunshot-detection technology amid a citywide debate over public safety, spending, and the role of technology in policing. The city’s ballot question asks voters whether Chicago should “restart the use of gunshot detection technology that informs first responders when gunshots are detected.” At the same time, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has announced plans for a pilot covering six police districts. The source reports that the pilot is expected to begin soon, with the mayor’s office projecting deployment updates in early November, but it provides no confirmed start date.

The proposal follows the 2024 shutdown of the city’s previous deployment, which used ShotSpotter technology. Johnson said the city had spent $100 million on what he described as “essentially is walkie talkies on a stick,” and he said the technology was removed because it was ineffective. He also cited Office of Inspector General reports and argued that the system did not lead to arrests and convictions. The mayor has since indicated some openness to using technology in ways he considers more consistent with his public-safety goals, while continuing to question whether gunshot detection is necessary.

For contractors, the planned pilot signals possible future demand for gunshot-detection systems, implementation, and related support, but it is not evidence of an active procurement or award. The reporting identifies no selected supplier, solicitation, funding amount for the pilot, acquisition pathway, or confirmed schedule. ShotSpotter is relevant as the incumbent from the former citywide deployment, not as a confirmed provider for the planned pilot. Companies should therefore treat the initiative as an early market indicator and monitor formal notices, city budget and council actions, and updates from the responsible city departments before committing bid resources.

The procurement outlook will depend in part on the outcome of the ballot question and the city council’s actions. Alderman Marty Quinn, who introduced the question, has criticized the administration’s pilot as potentially delaying full implementation. Alderman Matt O’Shea also criticized the earlier cancellation, saying officials had been told police leadership opposed it and that a replacement would be provided, but “Here we are 25 months later and we don't have a replacement.” The source says O’Shea did not receive answers about which company would provide the pilot technology; Chicago Police Department officials told him they believed the technology could be supplied, but the available report does not identify a vendor. These unresolved questions make performance evidence, cost justification, deployment scope, and governance likely areas of scrutiny for any future procurement.

• Chicago is planning a gunshot-detection pilot across six police districts; the start date remains unconfirmed.
• The ballot question asks whether the city should restart technology that alerts first responders when gunshots are detected.
• The previous ShotSpotter deployment was taken offline in 2024 after Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise to cancel it.
• Johnson said the city spent $100 million on the previous technology and described it as “walkie talkies on a stick.”
• The mayor said the prior system was ineffective and referenced Office of Inspector General reports; no pilot performance requirements are provided in the source.
• The mayor said Chicago had recorded its lowest amount of homicides and shootings in 60 years since the technology’s removal, while also saying technology could have a role if it does not replace or punish people.
• Alderman Marty Quinn introduced the ballot question and criticized the pilot as potentially delaying full implementation.
• Alderman Matt O’Shea questioned the absence of a replacement 25 months after cancellation and said he did not receive an answer on which company would supply the pilot.
• No supplier, solicitation, procurement route, pilot funding amount, or confirmed award is identified; vendors should monitor city and council announcements rather than treat the pilot as an open bid.
• The mayor’s office projected updates on the deployment in early November, a near-term indicator for suppliers tracking the city’s plans.