Cleveland.com, July 2025
Three years ago, the city of Cleveland agreed to quadruple the size of a controversial gunshot detection tool in the hopes of improving public safety. But after spending $2.8 million on it, emerging evidence suggests the tool is not putting more criminals behind bars or reducing gun violence.
Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer analyzed 129 homicides from 2024 and examined police reports of slayings that mentioned the use of ShotSpotter, a system that picks up the sound of gunshots and alerts authorities. Those cases were less likely to be solved than fatal shootings overall. The findings, though limited to last year, build on a growing body of peer-reviewed studies that have come to a similar conclusion.
