The Detroit Police Department is standing by its controversial ShotSpotter gunshot detection system following a leak revealing the locations of its sensors in cities across the U.S.
Last month, WIRED magazine published a map showing the locations of 25,580 ShotSpotter sensors around the country, citing a leaked document. Activists have protested the technology due to its deployment in low-income communities of people of color, which the leaked data confirms.
In a statement released Thursday evening, DPD defended the system — which is run by a company called SoundThinking — claiming that ShotSpotter does not discriminate. But the leaked data shows clusters of the sensors in the northeast and northwest sections of Detroit, one of the biggest majority-Black cities in the U.S.
“To reiterate, there is no expectation of privacy in the percussion sounds of a firearm, which is what the ShotSpotter sensors are specially designed to capture,” DPD said in its statement. “This is true regardless of the race, sex, or other classification of the person firing the weapon.”
Curiously, the department’s statement also claimed, “At this time, the Department is not aware of any release of Detroit-specific locations,” though the locations were revealed in the WIRED article and reported on by Fox 2 Detroit this week. (We asked DPD for clarification and will update this article if they respond.)
According to the document, which WIRED says was obtained from a confidential anonymous source, the ShotSpotter sensors are hidden at elementary and high schools, government buildings, hospitals, public housing complexes, and billboards. It is not known whether the leak of sensor locations is comprehensive.
In 2022, Detroit City Council voted to renew the city’s $1.5 million contract with ShotSpotter and then approved a $7 million expansion of the system.
DPD and other supporters say the sensors help police solve and prevent crimes. But critics say the funds would be better spent on social services and other methods to improve safety in the communities, rather than increased police presence.
In its statement, DPD dismissed the accusations, saying it “rejects the idea that investment in technology that provides significant public safety benefits comes at the cost of other important community programs.”
It added, “At the same time we have been using ShotSpotter, the city has seen unprecedented investment in affordable housing, park improvements and programs to assist Detroiters in need of critical home repairs and other needs. The Department will continue to uphold its commitment of using this technology in a constitutional manner.”
Other surveillance technology in Detroit includes the equally controversial Project Green Light, which uses facial recognition technology to identify crime suspects. But the technology is not flawless, and has resulted in the improper arrests of at least three Black people in Detroit.
DPD’s full statement follows.
The Detroit Police Department shares SoundThinking’s concern over the release of ShotSpotter sensors around the country. At this time, the Department is not aware of any release of Detroit-specific locations. We will continue to work with SoundThinking toward ensuring that the integrity of the ShotSpotter sensors and the information derived from them remains intact.
Over the past 24 hours, some have used this security breach as a platform against the use of ShotSpotter technology, including allegations that the use of such sensors invades the privacy rights of Detroit residents or targets an individual by their race. To reiterate, there is no expectation of privacy in the percussion sounds of a firearm, which is what the ShotSpotter sensors are specially designed to capture. This is true regardless of the race, sex, or other classification of the person firing the weapon.
Furthermore, the Department rejects the idea that investment in technology that provides significant public safety benefits comes at the cost of other important community programs. At the same time we have been using ShotSpotter, the city has seen unprecedented investment in affordable housing, park improvements and programs to assist Detroiters in need of critical home repairs and other needs.
The Department will continue to uphold its commitment of using this technology in a constitutional manner.
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