Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2026 budget proposal once again includes a significant allocation for a ShotSpotter replacement, administration officials informed aldermen during Thursday’s budget hearings.
Officials identified a $5 million line item in the mayor’s spending plan as funding for a “gunshot detection system” when pressed by aldermen. The item’s written description had previously only mentioned “software maintenance and licensing.” Despite the revelation, the plan to invest in a replacement for the controversial acoustic gunshot detection technology is no surprise to many aldermen.
In February, Johnson announced his administration was seeking proposals for “gun violence detection technology,” signaling this direction. Still, the move is notable given the broader budget context, which includes major cuts to library book-buying funds and reductions in the city’s previously promised advanced pension payments.
Alderman Bill Conway (34th Ward) highlighted the time elapsed since Johnson defied a 33-alderman City Council majority to end the city’s use of ShotSpotter. At a council hearing focused on the Office of Public Safety Administration (OPSA), Conway argued that voters largely supported the police response tool.
“It seems as though their voice, through the voice of their elected officials, is being ignored under the guise of a complicated [procurement] process,” Conway told OPSA staff. “Please do what you can to get this technology online as fast as you can.”
Department leaders spoke positively about the search for replacement technology, promising a “great product” is on the way.
“At this point, there have been several stages, including very rigorous testing, and we’re very confident that it will be a successful [procurement process] with a great product,” said OPSA Managing Deputy Director Dan Casey.
Pressed by Alderman Matthew O’Shea on when the technology could be reactivated on Chicago streets, Casey explained that other departments are responsible for selecting the vendor and negotiating the contract.
“That’s sometimes a lengthy process, but our goal is to make it as fast as possible,” he added.
Casey later clarified that a final choice has not yet been made but expressed hope that a contract could be reached “by sometime next year.”
Mayor Johnson had previously criticized ShotSpotter as a “walkie-talkie on a stick,” arguing it wasted money and made police responses less efficient before he discontinued its use in September 2024. He campaigned on removing the technology, asserting it led to over-policing in the South and West Side neighborhoods where it was deployed.
Supporters of ShotSpotter, including many Black aldermen from these same neighborhoods, countered that the tool sped up police responses after shootings, ultimately saving lives by getting wounded individuals medical attention more quickly.
At the hearing, some progressive aldermen urged OPSA officials not to choose a replacement similar to the canceled ShotSpotter system.
“My ward does not want ShotSpotter,” said Alderman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward). “We want to use technology, but we want to use it to solve crime. We want officers to actually be on the streets.”
The 2025 budget, passed last year by aldermen and the mayor, included nearly $9 million for similar technology. However, that money remains unused, giving city officials some flexibility to reallocate funds to cover overspending in other areas.
OPSA Executive Director Era Patterson described the smaller $5 million amount as a “prorated” sum that reflects the “likelihood that we will have a gunshot detection system up and running Jan. 1 [2026] is nonexistent.”
Regarding the “acoustic gunshot detection” tools discussed in the hearing, Garein Gatewood, Johnson’s deputy mayor for community safety, described the incoming technologies broadly as “first responder technologies.” He declined to comment extensively on the ongoing procurement process and noted he has not yet seen any testing results.
“We’ll just let that process play out, because I think ultimately it’s important that the process plays out and it’s fair, and you know, the decisions are made after that,” Gatewood said. “I think the process is going the way it’s designed to go.”
In response to criticism over the speed of the procurement process, Gatewood pointed to the significant reduction in violent crime Chicago has experienced this year. According to the Chicago Police Department, the city has seen a 29% drop in murders compared to the same period last year — nearly 150 fewer.
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This budget proposal and related discussions signal the city’s ongoing balancing act as it seeks effective tools to combat gun violence while responding to community concerns about policing and public safety technology.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/06/mayor-brandon-johnson-budget-shotspotter-replacement/
