Chicago mayor cancels controversial gunshot detection system
The short version: CBS Chicago reports Mayor Brandon Johnson is letting Chicago's ShotSpotter contract expire, ending a surveillance program critics called inaccurate, invasive, and disproportionately deployed in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Our Take
Credit to CBS Chicago for tracking this one through to the finish. ShotSpotter — now rebranded as SoundThinking — has been one of the most scrutinized surveillance tools in the country, and Chicago's decision to actually walk away from it is rare. Most cities just keep renewing these contracts quietly, year after year, regardless of the evidence. That a mayor followed through on a campaign promise to kill a surveillance program, instead of letting it drift into permanence, is worth noting.
But don't mistake this for a broader retreat from surveillance policing. While acoustic gunshot detection loses favor in some cities, automated license plate readers from companies like Flock Safety are expanding into exactly the same neighborhoods, often with even less public debate than ShotSpotter ever got. ALPR networks log every passing car, build permanent movement histories, and get shared across agencies and states with minimal oversight. If Chicago residents want to know what's watching them right now, our camera map is a good place to start.
The lesson from ShotSpotter's cancellation isn't that the fight against surveillance tech is winding down — it's that sustained public pressure and organizing can actually force a reversal. That takes documentation, local council pressure, and residents who refuse to let these contracts renew on autopilot. If you want to do the same thing for license plate surveillance in your city, our take-action page has a place to start.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of CBS Chicago, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.