Investigation: ShotSpotter technology has "serious flaws"
ShotSpotter has 'serious flaws' in its technology that call s into question its effectiveness and value and undermine s the company's marketing claims , according to a n AP investigation . Citing the mistaken arrest and imprisonment of Michael Williams, t he investigation found ShotSpotter's system was unreliable, can miss live gunfire directly under its microphones, and may misclassify slamming doors, car backfires and firework sounds as gunshots. This led to a high rate of false positives, with police being dispatched to areas where no gunfire occurred, potentially resulting in unnecessary and dangerous encounters. The report also highlighted concerns about the system's transparency. ShotSpotter's methodology has not been independently verified or peer-reviewed, raising questions about its use as evidence in criminal cases. Furthermore, t he investigation noted instances where ShotSpotter analysts changed their initial assessments, sometimes at the request of law enforcement, which undermines the objectivity of the data. Additionally, th e report said the system is predominantly deployed in communities of colour, contributing to increased police presence and potentially exacerbating tensions in these areas. Critics argue that ShotSpotter's technology has not been proven to effectively reduce gun violence and that its deployment may lead to over-policing and civil rights violations. These findings have prompted calls for a reevaluation of the system's use and effectiveness in law enforcement. System 🤖 ShotSpotter Operator: Chicago Police Department Developer: SoundThinking Country: USA Sector: Govt - police Purpose: Detect gunfire Technology: Gunshot detection system; Deep learning; Neural network; Machine learning Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Bias/dis crimination; Effectiveness/value; Human/civil rights; Transparency Investigations, assessments, audits 🧐 AP . How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence
- Date it happened
- 2022-03-01
- Organisation involved
- Chicago Police Department
- Product, system or model
- ShotSpotter
This incident was imported from AIAAIC and is used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Our additions to it — the structured fields, the translation, the checks against other reports — are published under the same licence.
This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.