Why is Sacramento spending millions on a divisive program other cities reject?

Sacramento Bee ^ | September 20, 2025 | By Robin Epley

[artichokegrower]

Last week, the city of Sacramento spent $2.6 million to retain the services of controversial AI technology that tracks the location of gunfire, an expense that other cities across the nation have rejected. “We believe that ShotSpotter is a crucial piece of (technology)… and we’re seeing a positive result from the use of these dollars,” said Zachary Bales, deputy chief of the Sacramento Police Department, at the city council meeting where the contract was approved.

[artichokegrower]

More recently, a lawsuit against ShotSpotter and the city of Chicago was settled with the help of the MacArthur Justice Center, a public interest law firm that works on social justice cases across the country. In the settlement agreement, Chicago agreed that a ShotSpotter alert does not give its police justification to stop or pat down any person who happens to be near the location of an alert. Chicago canceled its contract with ShotSpotter last year and stopped using the system completely by last September.

And how has that worked out for Chicago

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Follow the kickback.

[KarlInOhio]

I thought Chicago cancelled because they were always being charged overage fees from tracking vastly more gunfire than they contracted for. 😀

[frank ballenger]

Places such as Detroit that tried the gunfire location system experienced community protests because so many suspects were in black neighborhoods.

The electronic system gives the impression that nationally 52.6% of arrests for homicides in 2016 were of black suspects and about 60% of firearm victims are black people.(spoiler: That is the true result. No current data, though.)

“Gun violence is concentrated in specific, often under-resourced and racially segregated neighborhoods, which contributes to the disproportionate impact on communities of color, according to the Center for American Progress.”

Conclusion of this article below. “
The scorecard shows 99.6% of gunfire alerts were accurate in 2021 and 99.5% were accurate for the first six months of 2022.”

https://www.bridgedetroit.com/shotspotter-says-mistakes-are-rare-but-detroiters-want-more-transparency/

[Equine1952]

I have ShotSpotter. I spot it and return fire with extreme prejudice. Carry, train, be aware, and be safe. Regards

[Bernard]

Just like Buck Henry was the Father of Structure Fishing (90% of the fish are in 10% of the water), this is a tool that law enforcement can use to go where the shooting is. Follow the Science.

[Leaning Right]

> Follow the kickback. <

Right.

Who owns ShotSpotter? Any relatives of the governor, or of a state senator?

And more importantly, how much money are they giving to Sacramento politicians in the form of campaign contributions?

💰💰💰

And too bad for you, California taxpayer. Just pay your taxes and shut up.

[whitney69]

Fallout money.

wy69

[gundog]

Buck Perry.

[artichokegrower]

We here in California like ShotSpotter

Just last night in Salinas

SALINAS, Calif. —
Two people were killed Friday night in a shooting, according to the Salinas Police Department.

Around 11:00 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a ShotSpotter activation in the 300 block of Cross Avenue.

[cuz1961]

Why is Sacramento spending millions on a divisive program other cities reject?

Cuz, it’s East Beijing.

( Formerly known as Sacramento)

[Leaning Right]

> We here in California like ShotSpotter <

I understand that such devices can quickly give police the location of a shooting.

Now here is the key question: Does it help in actually catching the shooters? Or are the shooters gone by the time the police arrive?

I don’t know the answer to that. So I’ll await a post from someone more knowledgeable than I am. 🙂

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"...some of the harshest critics of ShotSpotter say the technology can also create victims: Black and brown people, who have been swept up by the police chasing alerts."

Funny, black and brown people in DC seem to be happy with the greatly increased policing making the city a lot safer.

[lewislynn]

Does it help in actually catching the shooters? Or are the shooters gone by the time the police arrive?

That's not as important as the response time for possibly saving the lives of people on the receiving end of the shots fired.

[Leaning Right]

> That’s not as important as the response time for possibly saving the lives of people on the receiving end of the shots fired. <

Fair point.

[Carry_Okie]

Looks to me more like an easy means of diverting police on wild goose chases.

[Bernard]

Hey, I was close. I remembered the Buck part.

[BobL]

“Follow the kickback.”

If you mean kickback for REMOVING the system, I might believe it. But the big problem with Shot Spotter is that it actually works, so its results are a bit too ‘diverse’ for today’s ‘community leaders’.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Now here is the key question: Does it help in actually catching the shooters? Or are the shooters gone by the time the police arrive?

Both. It depends on 1) how close police are and how quickly they can respond, and 2) how quickly shooters leave the area. Sometimes they get there more quickly than they do other times.

[Organic Panic]

Shotspotter was cancelled in liberal s hole because muh racism.