Since 2007, police in Boston have been using ShotSpotter technology to alert them to the location and timing of gunshots. The technology, created by SoundThinking, consists of acoustic sensors placed throughout the city to help police respond quickly to shootings, even if no one calls 911. With Boston’s ShotSpotter contract up for renewal in June, the ACLU of Massachusetts has released a report challenging the reliability of the technology and urging the city to consider alternatives.
The ACLU’s analysis of over 1,300 Boston police reports found that almost 70% of ShotSpotter alerts did not lead to any evidence of shots being fired. Kade Crockford, director of the Technology for Liberty Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, and Tom Chittum, SoundThinking’s senior vice president of Analytics and Forensic Services, join Katie Lannan to discuss the role and impact of ShotSpotter in Boston.
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