CPD Data Shows Steep Drop in Shootings, Homicides in Neighborhoods Where ShotSpotter Was Removed: Analysis

When Mayor Brandon Johnson scrapped the city’s controversial gunshot detection system, he defied critics who warned that without ShotSpotter, police officers would be unable to stop a wave of gun violence.

But nearly a year after officials turned off the microphones that sent an alert to police officers every time the system picked up suspected gunfire, a new analysis of Chicago crime data shows a steep drop in violent crime and homicides in the 12 South and West side neighborhoods that had ShotSpotter sensors until September 2024.

Police beats that had ShotSpotter sensors saw an approximately 17.8% decrease in violent crime and a 37.5% decrease in homicides during the first six months of 2025, as compared with the first six months of 2024, according to the analysis of Chicago crime data by Rob Vargas, a sociology professor at the University of Chicago who leads the UChicago Justice Project…

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS