The Little Rock Board of Directors voted to cancel a previous decision to end the Little Rock Police Department’s use of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection service. The decision to reconsider the contract with SoundThinking Inc., the company that runs ShotSpotter, was not on the publicly available agenda for the meeting. Civil rights groups have raised concerns about the effectiveness and potential for racial bias in the use of ShotSpotter technology.
The city board failed to renew the $188,000 contract for ShotSpotter in February by a single vote. Ward 5 Director Lance Hines successfully brought a motion to expunge the previous vote during a recent board meeting, leading to a future vote on reinstating the contract. City Attorney Tom Carpenter clarified that a motion to expunge can be made at any time. The board still needs to vote on reinstating the contract despite the motion to expunge.
There has been vocal opposition to renewing the contract from some community members, with concerns about the technology’s effectiveness. Little Rock has dozens of ShotSpotter sensors in use in a specific area of the city. The ShotSpotter technology detects gunshots and alerts police to potential incidents, but critics question its efficacy.
In addition to the discussion on ShotSpotter, the city board also approved a contract for site-grading and utility work on the Little Rock Micro Home Village. Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced that the village, which aims to address homelessness, is expected to be completed by 2025. The city is moving forward with both technology and infrastructure projects to address crime and homelessness in Little Rock.
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