Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register
Keenly aware of the potential coronavirus-induced budget crunch facing the city, members of the Springfield City Council debated Tuesday whether the police department should move forward with its implementation of “ShotSpotter” technology.
Council members, discussing the measure at their Committee of the Whole meeting, weighed the merits of the gunshot detection technology with its cost — $838,750 over the course of a three-year agreement with ShotSpotter, Inc., which is the sole company that provides this service.
The technology — a series of acoustic sensors — would be able to pinpoint the origin of gunfire within a 25 meter radius and provide real-time information, including the number of shooters and type of weapon being used, immediately to the computers and mobile devices of Springfield police officers.
Springfield Police Chief Kenny Winslow said the acoustic sensors have already been installed and that the department would be ready to “flip the switch” on the technology within a matter of weeks should the council approve the measure next week.
It would be the culmination of years of planning by the department to implement the technology as part of a larger gun violence reduction plan.
But with city finances uncertain, some city council members questioned whether the technology was a pressing need for the city.
If implemented, the technology would only cover a 4.25-square mile area on the city’s east side.
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Mayor Jim Langfelder included $150,000 towards the effort in his fiscal year 2020 budget. An additional $85,000 was earmarked from this current fiscal year.
HSHS St. John’s Hospital has previously committed $50,000 for each year of the agreement while Memorial Health System promised at least $50,000. Langfelder and Winslow acknowledged, however, that they were not certain if those commitments still stood given the uncertainty amid the pandemic.
The council moved to place the proposed agreement with ShotSpotter, Inc. on the debate agenda for next week’s council meeting.
A prior motion to hold the proposal in committee failed, with only Redpath, Hanauer and Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin supporting that move.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 