United StatesPublic sector2017–2024Chicago Police Department
ShotSpotter gunshot detection and police dispatch
Chicago's ShotSpotter audit found gun-crime evidence in 9.1% of responses before the city ended its use
Problem
Police used acoustic alerts to locate suspected outdoor gunfire and dispatch officers.
Approach
ShotSpotter combined an AI algorithm with microphones to identify suspected gunshots. Analysts reviewed alerts before forwarding them to police. Chicago introduced it in 2017 and ended its use in September 2024.
Results
Takeaway
The audit measured evidence found after dispatch, rather than the system's technical false-positive rate.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Public sector
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Predictive analytics and ML
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Goal
- Quality and risk
- Evidence
- Regulator, audit or court
Sources
Source summaries
OIG analyzed police responses from January 2020 through May 2021. Recorded gun-crime evidence followed 9.1% of responses, with incomplete records limiting the assessment.
The city documented deployment beginning in 2017 and described human review of sensor alerts. Its historical dataset recorded the end of city use on September 22, 2024.
AP described ShotSpotter's use of an AI algorithm and microphones. It reported Chicago's announcement that the contract would not be renewed.
Full details are in the original sources.