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Chicago mayor opens gunshot-detection pilot to competing vendors after referendum

Chicago mayor opens gunshot-detection pilot to competing vendors after referendum

Rule Changes Chicago, IL local

Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration reverses a single-vendor plan after 72% of voters backed restarting the technology.

Yesterday: Administration opens pilot to multiple vendors

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Chicago has gone more than two years without gunshot detection. On Nov. 9, Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration said it will let multiple short-listed vendors test their systems in a pilot, reversing an earlier plan to use one vendor.

The shift follows a nonbinding referendum where 72% of voters backed restarting the technology. It still leaves the city without a permanent contract, and aldermen say the pilot may delay one past the mayoral election.

Why it matters

Chicago's response to gun violence hinges on whether a pilot becomes a contract or another delay.

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Key Indicators

72%
Referendum support
Share of voters backing a restart of gunshot-detection technology.
$13.9M
Set aside for replacement
Combined funding in the last two city budgets for replacement technology.
6
Police districts in pilot
Districts named for the planned pilot on the South and West sides.
9
Companies responding to RFP
Firms that answered the city's request for proposals.

Voices

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People Involved

Brandon Johnson
Brandon Johnson
Mayor of Chicago
Facing reelection and Council pressure over gunshot detection
SR
Sharla Roberts
Chief Procurement Officer, City of Chicago
Disclosed the pilot change at a City Council budget hearing
 Anthony Beale
Anthony Beale
Alderman, 9th Ward
Outspoken critic of the mayor's procurement approach
 Brendan Reilly
Brendan Reilly
Alderman, 42nd Ward
Pressed procurement officials on the delayed replacement
 Gilbert Villegas
Gilbert Villegas
Alderman, 36th Ward
Questioned testing and referendum consistency

Organizations Involved

City of Chicago
City of Chicago
Municipal government
Running the pilot and procurement process

The city government controls the gunshot-detection pilot and any permanent contract.
Chicago City Council
Chicago City Council
Municipal legislature
Pressing the administration for a replacement contract

The 50-member Council must approve budgets and can pressure the mayor on procurement.
SO
SoundThinking
Technology vendor
Short-listed bidder demanding inclusion in the pilot

SoundThinking is the parent company of ShotSpotter, the gunshot-detection system Chicago used until 2024.
Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department
Municipal Police Department
Would use gunshot-detection technology in the field

The department responds to gunshots and would use any detection system the city adopts.

Timeline

2021 November 2026

10 events Latest: Yesterday
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Administration opens pilot to multiple vendors

    Latest Policy

    Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts said all short-listed bidders will get to showcase their violence prevention strategies in the pilot.

  2. Johnson says referendum will not pressure him

    Statement

    The mayor said the vote would not force him to deliver a replacement, arguing his pilot is the transparent path.

  3. Voters back gunshot detection

    Election

    A nonbinding referendum asking whether Chicago should restart gunshot detection won 72% support.

  4. SoundThinking demands pilot inclusion

    Legal

    SoundThinking's attorney told the city that if gunshot detection was part of a pilot, the company had to be included as a short-listed bidder.

  5. City receives replacement bids

    Procurement

    Fifteen firms responded to a request for information and nine answered a follow-up request for proposals.

  6. SoundThinking demonstrates its system

    Procurement

    SoundThinking gave an oral presentation and live-fire demonstration to city officials in fall 2025.

  7. Chicago ends ShotSpotter contract

    Policy

    Mayor Brandon Johnson fulfilled a campaign promise by canceling the city's contract with ShotSpotter.

  8. Council tries to force a new contract

    Legal

    The City Council empowered the police superintendent to sign a new ShotSpotter contract. Johnson declared the ordinance illegal.

  9. ShotSpotter extended through Democratic convention

    Policy

    Johnson negotiated a costly extension to keep the technology through the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

  10. Adam Toledo shooting intensifies ShotSpotter scrutiny

    Context

    Chicago police shot and killed 15-year-old Adam Toledo after responding to a shots-fired call. The case became a focus of criticism over ShotSpotter and overpolicing.

Scenarios

1

Multi-vendor pilot begins in six police districts

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Johnson administration and Chicago Sun-Times reporting

The administration has said the pilot will test gunshot detection alongside drones, license plate readers and other tools. If it starts, SoundThinking and other short-listed bidders would get field demonstrations. The trigger is a signed pilot agreement and a launch in the six named districts.

2

Chicago awards permanent gunshot-detection contract

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Aldermen including Gilbert Villegas and Anthony Beale

A permanent contract would end the procurement fight. It requires the mayor to move from pilot to award, which he has resisted for three years. Council pressure and the referendum could force a vote, but the administration controls procurement.

3

Pilot stalls past mayoral election without a contract

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Aldermen Anthony Beale and Marty Quinn

Beale and Quinn have called the pilot a delay tactic to get past the mayoral election. If the pilot remains unlaunched or produces no contract, the city would stay without permanent gunshot detection. The trigger is continued budget hearings and no signed pilot agreement.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2021

Adam Toledo shooting (2021)

Chicago police shot and killed 15-year-old Adam Toledo after responding to a shots-fired call. The case intensified criticism of ShotSpotter and overpolicing in Black and Brown neighborhoods.

Then

Mayor Brandon Johnson later cited the case in his campaign promise to end ShotSpotter.

Now

The shooting became a reference point in Chicago's debate over gunshot detection.

Why this matters now

It explains why Johnson resisted restarting the technology even after the referendum.

2024

Democratic National Convention extension (2024)

Johnson negotiated a costly extension to keep ShotSpotter through the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, even after the City Council tried to force a new contract.

Then

The technology stayed online through the convention.

Now

The mayor still refused a permanent contract, and the city later launched a competition for a replacement.

Why this matters now

It shows Johnson has been willing to extend the technology temporarily while opposing a long-term commitment.

Sources

(3)
Chicago Sun-Times WBEZ Chicago NBC Chicago