Gunshot radars scrutinized, again, despite Pittsburgh’s contract

(The Center Square) – Pittsburgh’s $8.5 million contract for its gunshot radar system appears to remain an unsettled issue.

The three-year contract, renewed by City Council in December, has drawn many detractors, including Pittsburgh residents who came to recent public meetings to say as much.

Referencing an August audit of the ShotSpotter system, resident Honey Rosenbloom called the radars “secretive surveillance technology” that hasn’t reduced gun-related crime and worsened racial tensions with police.

“So why are we entertaining spending more money on the system that does little more than extend the surveillance of citizens by private company and actively makes money off there being gun violence?” she said.

ShotSpotter uses sensors to triangulate the location of gunshots in areas of the city covered by the system, with a false positive rate of 1% and an alert time of 60 seconds.

Councilwoman Barbara Warwick, during a Feb. 24 meeting, noted while response times for the...