Somerville considers ending use of gunfire detection technology

City councilors in Somerville are considering doing away with technology that detects the sound of gunshots and alerts police.

Earlier this month, Councilor at Large Willie Burnley Jr. introduced an order to discuss the effectiveness and future use of ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system made by the public safety technology company SoundThinking.

Burnley told GBH News the goal is to “discuss whether we should really be using a technology that has been shown to be highly inaccurate, to give police officers the pretense to use lethal force upon arriving to a scene, and that can lead to violent interactions between our community and the police.”

Somerville police did not immediately respond to GBH News’ request for comment, but a recent report from the police department notes that officers responded to an average of four ShotSpotter alerts per month between 2017 and 2021.

In Somerville, ShotSpotter is funded through a grant and regulated through the city’s surveillance technology ordinance, which requires city councilors to approve the use of surveillance technologies, as well as for the police to report back to city council each year on how the technology is used.

There are 35 sensors installed across Somerville, according to a letter from Digital Fourth, a civil liberties organization in Greater Boston, in support of ending Somerville’s contract with ShotSpotter. A recent Wired report found that, across the country, ShotSpotter’s sensors are predominantly placed in communities of color. Burnley says that seems to be the same case in Somerville, too.

“I do have some concerns about not only the effectiveness of the technology but how it seems to be concentrated in one particular area of our community,” Burnley said.

After Burnley introduced the order, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts also called on the Somerville City Council to end the use of ShotSpotter. Kade Crockford, the program director for the ACLU’s Technology for Liberty, told GBH news there are “three core problems” with ShotSpotter. They say it’s unreliable, ineffective and raises civil rights concerns for communities of color living in neighborhoods with ShotSpotter devices. Crockford says that data from communities across the country supports these concerns. Other cities, such as Chicago, have ended their use of the controversial system.

“It produces thousands of false leads sending police on wild goose chases throughout communities of color,” Crockford says. “We have evidence that shows that it does not reduce firearm homicides or arrest outcomes, and we have evidence to show that it actually poses a threat to the very communities that it is meant to protect.”

A spokesperson for SoundThinking told GBH News in an email that the locations of sensors are “evaluated and determined strictly by objective data” and that its technology aids public safety.

“Black boys and young men are disproportionately affected by gun violence, and they, as well as their families and communities, deeply suffer from the physical and mental impacts of gunfire. They deserve a safe, equitable, and fast response,” the company said in an email.

Somerville city councilors have mixed feelings about the technology’s use.

Ward Four City Councilor Jesse Clingan told GBH News that he understands there are civil rights concerns but says it’s not a “one size fits all” situation for every community.

“As the councilor who represents Ward Four, which is the ward with the highest representation of shootings, especially with proximity to the Mystic Housing development, I would not want to see that [technology] go away,” he said.

Ward One City Councilor Matt McLaughlin wrote in an email to GBH News that “ShotSpotter is a free program that, when well regulated as it is in Somerville, has the potential to save more lives than hurt them,” citing that the technology has saved at least one life in Somerville.

J.T. Scott, city councilor for Ward Two, says the city could do without ShotSpotter.

“It's not particularly productive or reliable,” Scott said. “It is a use of resources that doesn't seem to be helping and in some cases, actively causes harm.”

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne’s office told GBH News in an email that the city is committed to the safety of the community.

“We're committed to exploring innovative ways to enhance public safety, and that includes piloting programs like Shotspotter to understand if they can help us achieve that goal,” she wrote. “However, we take the concerns raised by the ACLU seriously, and will carefully evaluate their input as we make decisions about the future of this technology in our city.”