Lawsuit
Michael Williams jailed on ShotSpotter evidence
2021Michael Williams spent nearly a year in jail on ShotSpotter-based evidence before a judge tossed the case — fueling scrutiny of the technology's reliability in court.
Acoustic Gunshot Detection
SoundThinking
Formerly ShotSpotter
SoundThinking's ShotSpotter blankets neighborhoods with microphones that claim to detect and locate gunfire, dispatching police to alerts. It also sells CrimeTracer (a person-search tool, formerly CopLink), the SafePointe weapons detector, and ALPR — now bundled as its 'SafetySmart' platform. Studies and cities have challenged its accuracy and its concentration in Black and Latino neighborhoods, and after Chicago dropped it in 2024 a string of cities followed; revenue fell and its market value slid to roughly $100 million by 2026.
◍ Fremont, CaliforniaEst. 1996NASDAQ: SSTI
People & money behind it
Robert Showen→Robert Calhoun→Jason Dunham→Ralph Clark→Deborah Grant→Pascal Levensohn→William J. Bratton→Gary Lauder→Lauder Partners→Motorola Solutions Venture Capital→Claremont Creek Ventures→Norwest Venture Partners→Labrador Ventures→Levensohn Venture Partners→City Light Capital→The Westly Group→Square 1 Bank→
Agencies & customers
CPDNYPDLocal LE
Products (6)
Abuses & incidents
Investigation
89% of alerts, no gun crime found
2021A MacArthur Justice Center analysis found the vast majority of Chicago ShotSpotter alerts led to no evidence of a gun crime, driving claims it wastes resources and over-polices neighborhoods.
Ban / Halt
Chicago ends its contract
2024Facing accuracy disputes and community pressure, Chicago — one of ShotSpotter's largest deployments — declined to renew its contract.