What Are the Last-Ditch Efforts to Save ShotSpotter in Chicago?

City Council will meet today to discuss various hot-button issues. Grab the popcorn, play a game, and read this primer on what to expect.

ShotSpotter Debate Heats Up

Alders who are proponents of ShotSpotter are trying to save the controversial gunshot detection technology today before the contract expires Sunday, the Tribune reported.

• Ald. David Moore, 17th Ward, wants to pass an ordinance allowing Police Supt. Larry Snelling to extend the contract.
• Others are trying to force a separate vote so the executive director of the Office of Public Safety Administration can have that power.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said Monday that ShotSpotter was a “walkie-talkie on a pole.” He and alders have battled over phasing out the system. Alders voted 34–14 in the spring to save ShotSpotter, but Johnson argued he has the sole power to approve city contracts.

Introducing a New Zoning Chair

Alders will vote to confirm Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th Ward, to lead the city’s powerful zoning committee. Johnson tapped Burnett 10 months after 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa resigned from his post amid accusations of a physical confrontation with another alder. It’d be more responsibility for Burnett, the city’s current longest-serving alder and vice mayor.

The mayor initially sought to appoint 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez, but the progressive alder failed to get support from other council members, WBEZ reported.

What About the Budget?

We’ll be keeping our eyes and ears peeled for word about potential solutions to the city’s almost $1 billion budget hole. But one thing we know: It will definitely be coming up in more City Council meetings this fall.