Oakland is among many cities across the country grappling with whether to keep or dump the controversial gunshot detection system, Shotspotter in the wake of ongoing concerns about false alarms, and over-policing. Chicago recently ended their contract, the largest in…
Category: Shotspotter Gunshot Detection
Oakland Shotspotter Contract Renewal
Controversial gunshot detection technology Shotspotter is up for contract renewal for the next three years in Oakland. The system depends on outdoor microphones that ping when exposed to a loud noise that might be a gunshot and a dispatch system…
Panel Discussion: Shotspotter Gun Detection Across The Country
In September 2023, anti-surveillance activists from across the country (Chicago, Portland, and Northern and Southern California) came together to discuss gunshot detection and leading manufacturer Shotspotter (now known as “SoundThinking”). The panel was hosted by POP Pasadena and featured Mohammed…
Shotspotter Document Shows Humans Overrule Software Based On 100% Certainty of Mind
In the Chicago lawsuit filed by Michael Williams, a Chicago resident who served 9 months in jail before charges against him were dismissed, gunshot detection manufacturer Shotspotter released a 19-page operational document to the plaintiffs. The document was the only…
Oakland Police Department Captain Selling Shotspotter Gun Detection Software in Portland
Portland privacy activists have reported that Oakland Police Captain Trevelyon Jones, the head of OPD’s Shotspotter Division, has been appearing remotely at community meetings in Portland, Oregon at the request of gunshot detection software manufacturer Shotspotter, to hawk their product.…
Freeway Shootings Increased After Millions Spent on Freeway Surveillance
The Freeway Security Network was established to reduce freeway shootings after a number of high profile freeway shootings on Interstate 80 and Highway 4 in 2016, with $3.5 million from the California State Transportation Agency. However the number of freeway…
National Campaign To End Shotspotter
Privacy and criminal justice activists across the country are focusing on gun detection software, and specifically lead vendor, Shotspotter, after the company’s forensic reports threw two innocent men in jail and drew cops into a fatal encounter with 13 year…
Surveillance Vendor Shotspotter Alters Forensic Reports After Police Requests
The gunshot detection technology Spotshotter has recently been the subject of investigations by Vice and the Associated Press stating the company routinely changes their forensic reports at the request of police department customers. The modifications include the reclassification of sounds…
Civil Rights and Racial Bias Issues Boil for Surveillance Vendor Shotspotter.
Community groups are continuing to advocate against the spread of Shotspotter gun detection technology. In Columbus, Ohio, a viral video of police abuse following a Shotspotter alert enraged the community and incited advocates who “noted the consistency of the technology…
Associated Students at UC Berkeley Demand Termination of Shotspotter Contract
The Associated Students at UC Berkeley have passed a resolution demanding that UC Berkeley terminate their contract with SSTI, Inc, the Newark-based manufacturer of Shotspotter gunshot detection microphones.