Durham to shutter controversial ShotSpotter technology
The short version: Durham's City Council just voted 4-2 to dump ShotSpotter, proving that surveillance tech doesn't get a permanent pass just because it's already installed.
Our Take
Credit to WRAL for covering a rare win here: a city council actually looking at years of data on a surveillance tool and deciding it wasn't worth the money or the tradeoffs. ShotSpotter has faced the same criticism in city after city — spotty accuracy, questionable arrest outcomes, and a price tag that's hard to justify when the technology doesn't clearly reduce gun violence. Durham's 4-2 vote to let the contract lapse is a reminder that these systems are not permanent fixtures just because a police department likes having them.
This matters beyond acoustic gunshot sensors. It's the same conversation communities should be having about Flock Safety's ALPR cameras, which have spread into neighborhoods with far less scrutiny and even less public debate than ShotSpotter typically gets. Both technologies get sold as neutral crime-fighting tools, but both quietly expand what law enforcement can track about ordinary people, often with thin evidence that they make anyone safer.
If Durham can revisit a surveillance contract after years of use, so can your city. Check our map to see what's already deployed near you, and use our take-action guide to push your own council to ask the hard questions before renewal time rolls around.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of WRAL, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.