IMPD decides against use of gunshot detection technology

Eighteen months after launching a gunshot detection pilot program on the city’s near east-side, Indianapolis Police Chief Chris Bailey announced Thursday that the department will not invest in gunshot detection technology.

Bailey said in a statement that the agency would “instead invest in more impactful and fiscally responsible solutions.” The just over $1 million of American Rescue Plan funding earmarked for the gunshot detection devices will instead pay for Tasers, which police can to use to incapacitate threats.

In September 2022, the department tested gunshot detection systems from three different companies: ShotSpotter, J & M Security Systems and Flock Safety. The devices are perched on buildings and telephone poles, use acoustic sensors to triangulate the approximate location of a gunshot and notify local police.

The companies allowed the city to test the equipment free of charge until a permanent vendor is selected. The results were part of a confidential study that was recently made public by not-for-profit news organization Mirror Indy. It found that most alerts from the devices did not result in the collection of evidence.

IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams told IBJ late last year that the results for the gunshot detection tests had been mixed. The technology improved police response times by a few minutes, and in at least one instance, police received the gunshot detection alert before receiving a 911 call.

Community leaders had differing opinions on the decision to forgo gun detection.

Chris Staab, the leader of the Near Eastside Community Organization, told IBJ that it’s clear the technology served as an emergency response tool rather than a violence prevention measure. Still, he said he believes the pilot program saved lives and thinks the lives saved are worth the investment.

“Knowing that it has a good factor of getting first responders on the scene quick? Yes, that’s great. That’s fantastic. I would love to find a way to finance that and get that in every community,” Staab said. “[But] we know that this is a very large city and that would be a very steep price tag.”

Clif Marsiglio, who co-chairs the NESCO public safety committee with Staab, told IBJ that Bailey made the right decision. The organization worked with IMPD for the implementation of the pilot program, but Marsiglio said his perspective shifted from being willing to try anything as he became increasingly concerned about privacy and civil liberties issues.

“I can’t trust it,” Marsiglio told IBJ. “And we have far more needs that need to be addressed.”

He said the money would be better used to deal with homelessness and mental health initiatives in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police leader Rick Snyder called the decision “short-sighted and flawed.” The police union called for the implementation of gunshot detection in January 2019, Snyder wrote in a statement.

“It is our hope elected and appointed leaders of Indianapolis will reconsider this technology resource moving forward,” Snyder wrote.

The technology has faced increased scrutiny due to recent local and national media reports. After a data leak that included the location of the devices was released by Wired, Mirror Indy reported that they are still scattered around IMPD’s East District.

Marsiglio is among a group of residents who are concerned the devices are still transmitting data.

A spokesperson for SoundThinking did not respond to a direct question about whether the company would be removing remaining sensors. Instead, the company wrote in an email to IBJ that the city “made the decision not to extend the ShotSpotter subscription” after the pilot program. 

“Every ShotSpotter deployment is unique, and we work closely with our customers to evaluate how to move forward in the way that best serves them once a contract expires. After expiration, ShotSpotter data is no longer sent to police departments or given to any other organization. Customer privacy—whether current or previous–is a top priority for us,” the company said.

Bailey told reporters Thursday that sensors had been left up in case the department had made the determination to continue using the ShotSpotter devices.

Even with the use of the technology not moving forward, IMPD says it isn’t its job to take the devices down.

“That is not up to IMPD,” Lt. Shane Foley told IBJ in an email. “That is between whomever installed them and the property owner.