CHICAGO — The City Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance giving leaders more control over the ShotSpotter contract that Mayor Brandon Johnson is intent on ending.
In a stunning rebuke, the council voted 34-14 to limit Johnson’s ability to cancel the city agreement with the SoundThinking, the company behind the technology, and give police an opportunity to collect more data to show the benefits of the tech.
Johnson wouldn’t say if he plans to veto the ordinance, saying ShotSpotter is canceled.
“This passage of whatever it was has no bearing on my executive authority,” he said in a press briefing after the vote.
In a statement, a SoundThinking spokesperson praised the council’s action.
“We support greater transparency, which will allow Chicago’s elected officials and community leaders to fully assess the outcomes of gunshot detection, a critical component of the City’s public safety infrastructure that ultimately helps save lives and address gun violence,” the statement said. “We are committed to serving the citizens of Chicago to quickly respond to criminal gunfire incidents to drive more effective, efficient, and equitable public safety outcomes.”
Making good on a campaign promise, the mayor in February ended the contract but signed an extension through September 22 followed by a two-month transition period.
The debate before the voted was heated.
“You have a group of aldermen in the city council that want to defund the police and they’re using ShotSpotter as one way to start eliminating and defunding the police,” Ald. Silvana Tabares of the 23rd Ward said.
Explaining his decision, Johnson said he favored a comprehensive approach to public safety rather than relying on the expensive tech that studies show rarely leads to evidence of crime or gun recoveries.
A number of the council’s members agree.
“What kind of city do we want?,” Ald. William Hall of the 6th Ward said. “Do we want a city where the technology tells us when something is wrong or do we want a city where we have investments as well as technology that brings justice?”
Also on Wednesday’s Agenda
Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability: A final vote approved six out of seven of the mayor’s picks to serve on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. Those approved are Anthony Driver, Aaron Gottlieb, Abierre Minor, Kelly Presley, Remel Terry, and Sandra Wortham. An initial vote on one person was delayed over their ties to 48th Ward Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth.
SETTLEMENTS: A $1.75M offer was approved for the family of Irene Chavez, who died by suicide while in Chicago police custody.
CTA PRESIDENT: A symbolic vote of no confidence against Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter Jr. was introduced but immediately sent to the Rules Committee. A majority of alders have signed on to a non-binding resolution calling on Carter to resign or for the mayor to fire him – enough support to pass it.
U-VISAS: Ald. Ray Lopez introduced an ordinance calling for a hearing on how Chicago police and the city’s law department handle U-Visas. The issue should come up again at a June committee meeting. It comes after charges were filed against a handful of people accused of staging robberies around Chicagoland in order to apply for immigration visas that are reserved for some crime victims.
ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTS: Ald. Bill Conway’s proposed ordinance to create a quiet zone around a downtown women’s clinic frequently targeted by anti-abortion protests was tabled.
The next meeting of the Chicago City Council is Wednesday, June 12.
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