S.T.O.P. Condemns $21.8M NYPD ShotSpotter Extension

S.T.O.P. condemned NYPD’s three-year, $21.8 million contract extension with ShotSpotter.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns $21.8M NYPD ShotSpotter Extension (New York, NY, 2/20/2024) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy and civil rights group, condemned NYPD’s three-year, $21.8 million contract extension with ShotSpotter, the controversial gunshot detection alert system. The contract extension comes shortly after both an audit by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a report by Brooklyn Defenders Services found the technology to be highly inaccurate in alerting NYPD to confirmed shootings. S.T.O.P. condemned NYPD for wasting millions of dollars on error-prone, biased technology that puts Black and Latinx New Yorkers at risk of dangerous police encounters. SEE: StateScoop - NYPD extends contract with ShotSpotter, despite poor review https://statescoop.com/nypd-extends-contract-with-shotspotter-despite-poor-review/ New York City Comptroller Brad Lander - Audit Report on the New York City Police Department’s Oversight of Its Agreement with ShotSpotter Inc. for the Gunshot Detection and Location System https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit-report-on-the-new-york-city-police-departments-oversight-of-its-agreement-with-shotspotter-inc-for-the-gunshot-detection-and-location-system/ Brooklyn Defender Services – Confirmed: ShotSpotter Increases Surveillance and Policing of Black and Latine New Yorkers, While Failing to Reduce Gun Violence https://bds.org/assets/files/Brooklyn-Defenders-ShotSpotter-Report.pdf “NYPD doesn’t need any more evidence to know that ShotSpotter does not work,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Communications Director Will Owen. “Renewing this contract has nothing to do with public safety. This is out of business interests and to uphold the automated mass surveillance of New York’s Black and Brown neighborhoods. Instead of investing in communities and the infrastructure to make our city safer, Adams and the NYPD would rather waste millions on the world’s most expensive firework detector.” In 2022, S.T.O.P. released ShotSpotter and the Misfires of Gunshot Detection Technology, detailing how ShotSpotter’s error-prone software targets Black and Latinx neighborhoods, increasing the risk of police violence, and leaves levels of gun crime largely unchanged. SEE: Report - ShotSpotter and the Misfires of Gunshot Detection Technology https://www.stopspying.org/shotspotter The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.