Indianapolis PD Test Drives Three Gunshot Detection Systems, Decides None Are Worth Paying For

No matter who’s pitching the system, gunshot detection just doesn’t seem to be having any affect on crime rates or clearing investigations.

The biggest player in the business — ShotSpotter (now known as SoundThinking) — has seen some major contracts cancelled because it can’t live up to the promises it made. Chicago is dumping the system, worth $11 million a year, because an oversight report made it clear ShotSpotter’s tech was less useful than doing nothing at all.

According to that report, the gunshot detection system scrambled officers to 40,000 “dead-ends” in 21 months. On top of that, thousands of gunshot detections only led to a 1% arrest rate. Most recently, the tech made headlines for sending cops after a teen setting off fireworks, which nearly resulted in the minor being killed by cops who were told (by the tech) they were responding to actual gunshots.

The city of Indianapolis apparently felt some sort of gunshot detection system was needed. ShotSpotter, however, was one of three systems considered. But adding more options didn’t result in better results. As Sarah Nelson reports for the Indy Star, the Indianapolis PD has decided it’s going to continue to go without this supposed “improvement” in law enforcement tech.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police will not pursue technology that detects gunshots after a study into the systems’ effectiveness in investigating shootings, opting to instead “invest in more impactful and fiscally responsible solutions,” the department announced Thursday.

The decision to forgo utilizing gunshot detection systems — which pinpoint incidents of gunfire — comes after a nine-week pilot program and follow-up report testing sensors installed by three vendors on the city’s east side between September and December 2022. The report, compiled by researchers and a working group in the police department, concluded the technology made little impact in collecting evidence versus if residents called 911.

Back to the drawing board, shot spotting tech bros. The IMPD said none of the systems were worth the cost, even if there were a few cases where it actually appeared to work.

ShotSpotter/SoundThinking was one participant in the trial run. The other two were J&M Security and Flock Safety. Flock’s reputation isn’t much better than ShotSpotter’s at this point. The company has not only overstated the value of its tech in terms of solving crimes, but it’s also now dealing with negative press related to its highly-questionable, bought-and-paid-for “studies,” breaking laws to install ALPR cameras, and its history as a plaything for HOAs and gated communities.

Somehow, ShotSpotter has managed to come out looking worse than its competitors. While its competitors during this trial period have already removed their devices from the city, ShotSpotter has apparently decided it’s not worth its time or effort to remove its rejected tech from the city.

In May 2023, the city invited companies to submit bids to provide gunshot detection technology. The bidding period closed in early July. Yet recently leaked data showed sensors from SoundThinking remained installed in east-side neighborhoods, unbeknownst to police, until at least late February, roughly seven months after the bidding window closed.

SoundThinking/ShotSpotter claims the devices aren’t sending any information to the PD, which is likely true. You can’t make money providing paid services for free. But it has shown no interest in retrieving its tech and, according to its statement to the Indy Star, it has no plans to do so in the immediate future. Citizens could probably remove these themselves and send them back to the company, given that the locations of the detectors was exposed in the leaked documents, but why should the public be stuck cleaning up a mess a surveillance tech company created?

This decision to reject all participants in gunshot detection provides more evidence the tech just isn’t as useful as their marketing departments claim. Most governments aren’t shy about spending public funds on worthless efforts. That the PD wouldn’t do it here is a pretty strong indictment of the tech itself.