IMPD passing on gunshot detection system
Decision comes after 9-week pilot program
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police will not pursue technology that detects gunshots after a study into the systems’ effectiveness in investigating shootings, opting to instead “invest in more impactful and fiscally responsible solutions,” the department announced Thursday.
The decision to forgo utilizing gunshot detection systems — which pinpoint incidents of gunfire — comes after a nine-week pilot program and followup report testing sensors installed by three vendors on the city’s east side between September and December 2022. The report, compiled by researchers and a working group in the police department, concluded the technology made little impact in collecting evidence versus if residents called 911.
Additionally, the report cited concerns with reliability, efficacy and potential biases. Critics of the gunshot detectors say the technologies over-surveil predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. In a bombshell report examining Shot Spotter data in Chicago, researchers found the technology often unnecessarily deployed officers to these areas for incidents that turned up no crime.
Citing these concerns, Indianapolis police leadership concluded that while the technology allowed officers to respond more quickly in some cases, it did not reach a level proportional to the hefty costs the systems carry.
“There were some successes that we saw within the program but nothing that I could hang my hat on to say, ‘No, that’s something that we have to have throughout the city,’ ” Police Chief Christopher Bailey said. Bailey pointed to other technology the department has utilized, such as the B-link camera program, license plate readers and mobile trailer cameras, as better returns on investment.
Bailey also said the decision comes from his talks with leaders from other U.S. cities and reports that call into question the efficacy of gunshot detectors. Some cities, including Charlotte, North Carolina and San Antonio, Texas, ended their contract with one of the vendors, Shot Spotter, because the systems mistook fireworks or motorcycle engines for gunfire, according to USA Today.
Indianapolis bookmarked $1 million in federal funding toward the program when a vendor was chosen. Bailey said the money will instead go toward Smart Tasers, a less-lethal option for officers.
When the federal money runs out at the end of this year, the department will seek to incorporate the costs into its annual budget.
Shot Spotter: ‘No definitive decision’ on removing sensors
Thursday’s outcome comes nearly 18 months after the gunshot detectors went live on the east side for a limited time to conduct the study. In the rollout of the program, the police department reviewed sensors from three companies: J & M Security, SoundThinking (previously known as ShotSpotter) and Flock Safety.
In May 2023, the city invited companies to submit bids to provide gunshot detection technology. The bidding period closed in early July.
Yet recently leaked data showed sensors from SoundThinking remained installed in east-side neighborhoods, unbeknownst to police, until at least late February, roughly seven months after the bidding window closed. It’s unclear if the technology was there the entire time but the company told Mirror Indy it was installed as part of the bidding process.
The other two companies told media outlets they had removed their technology as the results were being examined.
Bailey on Tuesday said he discussed the issue with SoundThinking, who said the sensors were left up “in case that was the vendor we went with” and they wouldn’t have to re-install the microphones.
In a prepared statement, a spokesperson for SoundThinking on Thursday said the sensors are not sending data to police or any organization but would not say if they would remove the technology, telling IndyStar “no definitive decisions” have been made.
“Unfortunately we cannot provide any specific clarity on that at this time,” a SoundThinking spokesperson said via email.
The company provided no reason for why they would leave the technology in place.
“There were some successes that we saw within the program but nothing that I could hang my hat on to say, ‘No, that’s something that we have to have throughout the city.’ ”
Christopher Bailey IMPD police chief