A defiant City Council on Wednesday tried to force Mayor Brandon Johnson to keep the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system — and an equally defiant mayor declared the ordinance "illegal" leaving him "no choice but to veto."With four days to go before ShotSpotter goes dark, the Council suspended the rules and gave immediate approval to an ordinance empowering Police Supt. Larry Snelling to sign a new contract with ShotSpotter.But at a news conference after the Council meeting, Johnson said he had "no choice but to veto it. ... This is an illegal ordinance.” He said there are "other forms of technology that have peaked our interest" and he plans to give those technology companies an opportunity compete by issuing a so-called "request for information."Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry than stepped forward to explain.“The thing that passed is in violation of the separation of powers act. The legislative branch cannot compel the executive branch to act,” she said.The vote to suspend the rules was 37 to 9. The vote to snatch the contracting power away from Johnson and hand it to Snelling was 33 to 14. It would take just one more vote for the 34 needed to override Johnson's veto.How, then, can Johnson say with confidence that they won’t override?“It’s illegal. Keep in mind. It’s illegal,” he said.“You have to start to raise questions of why now, in the interest of democracy, that now that you have someone who is firm in their values of investing in people, that all of the sudden we don’t believe that person should have the powers that every other mayor has had.” Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Johnson has long maintained that he, alone, has contracting authority. Earlier, he had ignored a Council "order" requiring Johnson to get full Council approval before discontinuing ShotsSpotter in any ward where the local alderperson still wants it.This time, he's taking the City Council's action more seriously with a veto that sets the stage for an override attempt and a possible court fight to after that.The latest legislative showdown transpired just hours after ShotSpotter offered to cut its price by 48% for the next 15 months — from $1.2 million per month to $626,012 — to give the city time to evaluate gunshot detection options in an open competition the company plans to join.Council members wanting to keep ShotSpotter pointed to the offer as another reason to do so.Wednesday's impassioned debate divided West Side alderpersons representing Chicago’s most violent wards.An emotional Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said the non-stop gun violence plaguing Austin has people “going to funerals every day, every weekend. Shootings even at the funerals.”“People are not calling the police. They’re not going to call the police. What other recourse do we have” but to keep ShotSpotter? Mitts said. Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) discusses ShotSpotter during a Chicago City Council meeting Wednedsay at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times “When we get these texts over and over on our phones from our commanders, ShotSpotter is alerting somebody being shot. ... You can’t put a price on it, even if it’s one life” saved, Mitts said.“I’m telling what I know. I’m telling you the trauma that I have had and my community. … Guns are still out there and the police cannot do all that work so we need ShotSpotter. If it was good for the DNC, then it’s good for us now."On the other side of the West Side fence was Ald. Jason Ervin (28th), whose ward includes the crime-ridden Harrison District.Ervin said ShotSpotter is a "tool used improperly" by a Chicago Police Department that has "brought this upon itself."" We now have fewer people calling 911. We've had less people come to CAPS meetings when we need them to participate. And guess where it's happening at? On the South and West Sides of Chicago. We've got to start playing chess instead of checkers because this type of technology continues to drive community away from what needs to happen and that is engagement with the police department," Ervin said. Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) speaks about ShotSpotter during a Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) denounced the company that owns ShotSpotter as a “shoddy business ... selling a bill of goods to try to get as much money as they could.”The offer to reduce its original "Whole Foods prices" was proof of that, he said."If it was so easy for them to do that, why didn’t they start off at 48% of what they were charging us? Because they want to keep the money coming."Vasquez joined Johnson in arguing that only the mayor has the authority to sign contracts and negotiate new agreements.“It is a little bit ridiculous to think that you could remove the power from a mayor, then give it to their employee as if that changes anything. Hey, I’m gonna give it to the superintendent who’s appointed by the mayor. Maybe he’s gonna go against the guy who appointed him,” Vasquez said. "Not proper logic." Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) speaks during a Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) agreed it is “within the purview of the executive to decide on how to sign contracts. … That is not the purview of the Chicago Police Department and not the superintendent. This falls with the executive.”By supporting Johnson in getting rid of ShotSpotter, Sigcho-Lopez said he is simply “respecting the due process that elected a mayor who made a campaign commitment.”But West Side Ald. Monique Scott (24th) and Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) said that campaign promise isn't a reason to put people at risk.You “can’t put a life over a campaign promise," Scott said, adding that the system is working. She cited specific shooting victims found because of ShotSpotter alerts.“You don’t just snatch something [away] without a plan. ... I’m scared for my residents. I’m scared for my daughter. I’m scared for myself."Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) joined the chorus.“Those of us who have this technology know the value. We know what is going to happen when it is gone. ... African-American and Latino communities are very concerned we are playing a game of chicken with their lives. Using them as pawns to live up to a political promise. They see through this subterfuge," Lopez said.Speaking directly to Johnson, Lopez said: "I do not want to be the elected official that has to go to the family of a victim and say, `Your son or daughter wasn’t worth the money.’ You don’t want to be that person, either.” Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) discusses ShotSpotter during a Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times ShotSpotter is now embedded in 12 of Chicago’s 22 most violent police districts.Earlier this week, as some Council members continued to push to keep it in place, Johnson had condemned ShotSpotter as a costly waste of taxpayer dollars and little more than “walkie-talkies on a stick.”ShotSpotter's offer to cut its price would reduce the city's costs over 15 months to $9.5 million. The city now pays $9 million per year.The reduction was communicated in a letter to the mayor from Gary Bunyard, ShotSpotter’s vice president of corporate development. It includes the proposed 15-month “contract agreement” with the new price.That offer, however, depends on the Council approving the extension “no later than” Friday. A second condition is that Johnson “confirms his agreement and intent to follow” the terms of the proposed 15-month extension that includes the new price.“SoundThinking supports the city’s interests in exploring all options for responding to gun violence. The [15-month] term … should give the city of Chicago the time it requires" to seek other proposals, then "evaluate all options available to the city and then select the best solution(s) for the city moving forward,” Bunyard wrote.Johnson's promise to get rid of ShotSpotter was intended to appease an anti-technology movement that gained steam after the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo in March 2021.Johnson was so determined to keep his promise he announced his decision to cancel the contract before finalizing an exit plan. That forced him to pay a premium to negotiate a extension that maintained ShotSpotter through the traditionally violent summer months, including the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago last month. Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a Chicago City Council meeting Wednesday at City Hall.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times More Shotspotter Coverage City Hall City Council gives top cop power to keep ShotSpotter, but Johnson vows veto The system used in 12 of Chicago’s 22 most violent police districts is scheduled to be turned off Sunday. Mayor Brandon Johnson kept a campaign promise by canceling ShotSpotter, and has defended that decision even as dozens of City Council members are pushing to keep it. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Editorials The case for keeping ShotSpotter Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to keep a campaign promise and get rid of the gunshot detection system. But there’s evidence the technology saves lives. City Council should remember that on Wednesday. By CST Editorial Board [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall With days to go before system shuts down, Johnson condemns ShotSpotter as 'a walkie-talkie on a pole' A City Council majority determined to keep the gunshot detection system operating is gearing up for a legislative showdown Wednesday. But the mayor is determined to follow through on his promise to shut down the ShotSpotter system on Sunday. By Fran Spielman  and Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Last-ditch attempt to keep ShotSpotter snuffed out by parliamentary counter-maneuver Proponents of the gunshot detection technology wanted to force a City Council vote Wednesday on an ordinance empowering CPD Supt. Larry Snelling to sign a new contract with ShotSpotter. But by putting it on her committee agenda for Monday, Ald. Michelle Harris can prevent full Council action later next week. By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Parting shot? Last-ditch effort seeks to let Chicago’s top cop extend ShotSpotter deal Ald. David Moore plans to force a vote on an ordinance that would give Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling the power to extend the city’s deal for ShotSpotter, but at least 2 Council members cast doubt on Moore’s maneuver. By Fran Spielman  and Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall City Council vote could allow members to keep ShotSpotter in their wards After a long, emotionally charged debate, a defiant City Council voted 34-14 to lay the groundwork to tie Mayor Brandon Johnson’s hands when it comes to canceling the contract with the gunshot detection technology known as ShotSpotter. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Fran Spielman Show ShotSpotter CEO brands movement to dump gunshot-detection technology 'first cousin of defund the police' On the eve of a City Council showdown, Ralph Clark argued “people will die” if Mayor Brandon Johnson is allowed to follow through on his promise to cancel the controversial gunshot detection technology contract on Nov. 22. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall New police stats give Chicago City Council ammo to support keeping ShotSpotter The statistics, compiled by the Chicago Police Department, show response times over the last six years were more than two minutes quicker with a ShotSpotter alert than the gunshot detection alert accompanied by a 911 call. By Fran Spielman  and Frank Main [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Council delays votes on migrant funding, $1.25 billion bond issue, ShotSpotter Votes on $70 million to help migrants and the bond issue to fund housing and economic development now are set for Friday. The Council was, however, poised to approve a slew of other measures. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Police Committee defies Johnson on ShotSpotter, with his allies and critics supporting the technology The Police and Fire Committee approved an order championed by South Side Ald. David Moore that would empower the local alderperson to decide whether to keep ShotSpotter in their ward and prohibit the mayor from eliminating the technology in a ward where the local alderperson supports it without a full Council vote. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Politics Mayor Johnson's decision to end ShotSpotter contract may not be a 'done deal' after all A City Council committee will consider an ordinance Monday that could let individual alderpersons decide whether to continue ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology in their wards. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Crime ShotSpotter deal could be invalid, should get City Council vote, ex-watchdog says Former Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, now president of the Civic Federation, told the Sun-Times that details of the new deal indicate the City Council ‘probably should be vetting and approving this thing’ and not ‘just sort of play along with the mayor.’ By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Crime Chicago cop responding to ShotSpotter alert opened fire on boy lighting fireworks, oversight agency says Chicago police initially claimed officers were fired upon by a man, but the Civilian Office of Police Accountability released information Tuesday indicating the person involved was a child and did not shoot at police. By Sophie Sherry [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall ShotSpotter contract extension might be illegal, sources say Mayor Brandon’s Johnson’s administration negotiated an extension under less favorable terms than the original deal, which could violate city code, sources say. But the city’s Law Department says “a myriad of code provisions” permit the mayor’s extension. By Fran Spielman  and Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Mayor Johnson spends $8.6 million on nine-month ShotSpotter deal — more than entire past year's cost Johnson announced last week that the city planned to shut down the gunshot detection system after the historically violent summer months and the Democratic National Convention, making good on a key campaign promise. By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Crime ShotSpotter contract with Chicago extended through end of summer Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office worked out a renewal to the nearly $49 million contract with ShotSpotter’s parent company, SoundThinking, through Sept. 22. By Tom Schuba  and Kade Heather [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Crime Will ShotSpotter end in Chicago on Friday? Mayor dodges questions as firm indicates there's no deal The current $49 million contract with ShotSpotter expires Friday, meaning the gunshot detection system that covers 12 of the city’s 22 police districts could be shut down as early as the end of the day. By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Editorials Johnson's mixed signals on ShotSpotter add up to another misstep ShotSpotter is bad enough to give it the ax now, yet good enough to keep around for another six months? Only in Mayor Brandon Johnson’s City Hall does this make sense. By CST Editorial Board [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall What Chicago mayor's decision on ending ShotSpotter says about his leadership If Johnson was so determined to honor his campaign promise to get rid of the controversial gunshot detection system, why did he wait until the last minute to timidly announce the decision? By Fran Spielman  and Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Mayor Johnson to end ShotSpotter deal after summer, making good on key campaign promise After the Sun-Times first reported the decision, Johnson said the city will drop the gunshot detection system Sept. 22, meaning cops will have access to it throughout the summer and the Democratic National Convention. By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall At public forum on South Side, residents are divided on city’s renewing ShotSpotter deal Ralph Clark, CEO of ShotSpotter’s parent company, defended the controversial gunshot detection technology, saying the company guarantees at least 90% efficacy. By Emmanuel Camarillo [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Crime Top prosecutor says ShotSpotter has little impact on gun violence cases as mayor faces pressure to renew contract With Mayor Johnson on the clock to decide whether to renew the ShotSpotter deal, an internal document obtained by the Sun-Times underscores previous criticism that the technology is ineffective and too costly. By Tom Schuba  and Matthew Hendrickson [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Other Views Chicago shouldn’t renew its ShotSpotter contract Studies show the gunshot detection technology has no crime reduction benefit, a University of Chicago professor writes. By Robert Vargas [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Mayor Brandon Johnson approves $10 million payment to extend ShotSpotter deal he vowed to end — aide blames automatic signature A top mayoral aide said Johnson’s signature was unwittingly attached to a document authorizing the payment, which covered a contract extension approved by Lori Lightfoot. By Tom Schuba  and Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Brandon Johnson in no rush to get rid of ShotSpotter, despite campaign promise The mayor will weigh all opinions on the controversial tech from a company whose contract ends next year, his adviser Jason Lee told the Sun-Times. By Fran Spielman [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Other Views ShotSpotter changed its name, but no matter what it’s called, the gunshot detection system must go ShotSpotter has rebranded itself as SoundThinking, but it’s still a false solution to Chicago’s real problem with gun violence, activists write. Millions spent on the technology should go to violent prevention efforts. By Sharah Hutson  and Alyx Goodwin [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall ShotSpotter, firm behind Chicago police gunshot-detection tool, changes its name The rebrand comes months after the city extended the company’s contract for a second time. Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has vowed to end the deal. By Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   City Hall Lightfoot administration quietly renewed ShotSpotter contract that Johnson has vowed to cancel A ShotSpotter spokeswoman said the multimillion-dollar deal was extended in October, the same month Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson declared his candidacy. By Tom Schuba [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Letters to the Editor ShotSpotter helps police do their job better in high-crime neighborhoods In high-crime communities, citizens stop calling 911 for every shooting. ShotSpotter lets officers respond quickly and possibly stop active shooters, help victims and apprehend suspects faster than if they had to wait for 911 calls. By Letters to the Editor [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Editorials Is ShotSpotter missing the mark? ShotSpotter — sold to police as an accurate and technologically-advanced law enforcement tool — has proven time and again to be less-than-advertised. By CST Editorial Board [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   Chicago Confidential document reveals key human role in ShotSpotter gunfire detection system A report by a widely used gunshot detection firm says human employees are given broad discretion to decide whether a sound is a gunshot, thunder or nothing. By Garance Burke | Associated Press  and Michael Tarm | Associated Press [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]   News New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter ShotSpotter came under increased scrutiny after a police officer fatally shot 13-year-old Adam Toledo. In August 2021, the city’s Office of the Inspector General found the technology can change the way officers interact with areas they patrol. By Jon Seidel [month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]