Author: Alex Zielinksi
Publisher: Portland Mercury
Publication Date: 2022
Summary: The following article discusses ShotSpotter, a technology implemented by cities that uses microphones placed on streetlights, telephone poles, or other tall structures to collect audio data. This data is then used to detect sounds like a gunshot. When that sound is registered by the microphone, ShotSpotter will send local law enforcement location data based on that sound for a quick response. This article points out some of the issues with this technology as the Portland city council deliberates whether to implement ShotSpotter. The author mentions that a slammed car door or backfiring truck could bring the police to a neighborhood searching for a shooter. A 2021 study in Chicago based on ShotSpotter notes that the notification becomes the officer’s rational for questioning people in a neighborhood or patting them down for weapons. This, in combination with the fact that the neighborhoods that see the most gun activity are disproportionately home to people of color, can be problematic for a population already disproportionately stopped by police. This article highlights the impact that technologies that collect data may have on people of color – even if the advertised impact may be positive. Even though ShotSpotter is only looking for gunshot sounds, this can lead to further police activity and bias toward people of color. It is a good example of a technology that collects data and relies on algorithms that may impact certain people disproportionately.
