ShotSpotter splits mayoral candidates
Several mayoral candidates said in a Tuesday town hall they would support ending a $3.5 million contract to utilize gunshot sound-detecting technology, which has drawn debate.
While Houston celebrated National Night Out with law enforcement on Tuesday, mayoral candidates weighed in on police funding, transparency, and the contract for gunshot sound-detecting technology at a town hall organized by RISE Houston Coalition. Organizations in RISE (Re-Imagining Safety for Everyone) demand the city cancel the contract for ShotSpotter technology that detects gun shots.
Mayoral candidates Gilbert Garcia, Annie Garcia, write-in Robin Williams, M.J. Khan, Lee Kaplan, Robert Gallegos, and Naoufal Houjami attended. Gilbert Garcia, Annie Garcia, Williams, and Kaplan said they would move to cancel the contract with ShotSpotter, while Khan, Gallegos, and Houjami abstained from commenting. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who was in Washington, D.C., and spoke virtually later in the discussion, was not present at the time.
Houston’s ShotSpotter program resulted in 5,450 alerts, 99 arrests and the seizure of 107 guns as of February. Critics have said the results — 19 percent of gunfire alerts in 25 months led to an offense report — does not warrant the $3.5 million contract cost. The program has also led to concerns about overpolicing.
A Chronicle investigation found the technology had not made a dent in gun violence in the areas it covers and led to longer response times in those neighborhoods, especially for calls ranked less urgent than ShotSpotter alerts.
Town hall moderator Sasha Legette, executive director of Pure Justice, asked candidates what their plans were to divest from ShotSpotter and invest in “the kinds of infrastructure and supports that create real safety,” like housing, youth programming, drainage infrastructure and streetlights.
Jackson Lee, present for this question, highlighted her federal work to combat gun violence and said Houston could more effectively access federal dollars for public safety. Jackson Lee said she wanted to have more youth training programs and after school programs and invest in housing.
Gilbert Garcia said he would cancel the contract “because it makes no sense” and called it a “misuse of taxpayer resources.”
“That $3.5 million would build 200 bus shelters,” Garcia said, a former Metropolitan Transit Authority chairman.
Annie Garcia said job creation would help counter crime, that the demographics of the police force should look like the city, and that she believes the Houston ISD takeover will lead to “serious problems in terms of public safety” in over a decade.
Williams said the city needs to vote seasoned politicians out and that minority communities are being overpoliced.
Khan said the city needed to vote in people with management and financial expertise so that city programs work efficiently.
Kaplan said there’d be a penalty for divesting from the contract, “but I can promise you $3.5 million is not going to solve the social problems in the city.” He said city officials need to have the humility to admit when they’re wrong and they needed to divest in ShotSpotter.
Gallegos, the District I council member, said ShotSpotter was an expensive program that is targeted for certain neighborhoods due to its cost.
“So as the next mayor, what I will do is work with Chief Finner and I will work with those community leaders in those communities,” Gallegos said. “And I will let them tell me, do they want to have this or not. If they do want to have it, then I will continue with the program. If they tell me no, they don’t want to have it, then I will work to see what we can do to allocate that funding for street lighting.”
Houjami talked about entrepreneurial grants and creating a program that gives people quick access to jobs to cut the wait for a new job. He said to address crime people need access to cash and job opportunity.
Voters seeking police reform have to navigate a candidate pool crowded with calls for increases in HPD officers. This may include an increase in funding. The department had 342 fewer full-time equivalent officers than it did 25 years ago as of April, according to HPD data. Officials have said the department’s $1 billion budget will not be enough to boost staffing relative to the city’s growing population.
RISE also seeks to remove law enforcement from minor traffic violation stops and freeze Houston Police’s budget, instead of increasing its funding level.
Candidates mostly declined to provide a position on removing law enforcement out of low-level traffic stops, while Annie Garcia and Williams said they would support it and Khan said no. Candidates unanimously said no to the idea of freezing the police department’s budget. Jackson Lee was not present.
Quincy Gardenhire, field organizer for Pure Justice and RISE Coalition steering committee member, said no matter what candidates commit to in this space, coalition members must still push their agenda for reform.
“We might be able to elect a more progressive mayor, but I think we still have a lot of work to do in the city. And I think that, so far, nobody has really met our demands,” Gardenhire said.