An image of diagram used in 2022 by ShotSpotter Inc. to explain to Cleveland City Council members how the gunfire-detection response works.
A diagram used in 2022 by ShotSpotter Inc. to explain to Cleveland City Council members how the gunfire-detection response works. Credit: SoundThinking

Covered by Documenters Barbara Phipps (notes) and Gennifer Harding-Gosnell (live-tweet thread)

Measuring police surveillance outcomes

In October 2022, Cleveland City Council passed legislation to expand gunshot-detection technology known as ShotSpotter. The legislation approved $2.75 million of American Rescue Plan Act money with an extra $150,000 for review of ShotSpotter.

The Cleveland Community Police Commission’s Police Policy Committee plans to look to other cities to see how they measure the benefits of the technology before proposing policies for Cleveland.

Community worried about ‘slipping’ into forced hospitalizations

The committee also discussed hosting a panel on forced temporary hospitalization, also known as “pink slipping.”

Police and medical professionals can take a person into custody and transport them to a hospital if they believe the person is a danger to themselves or others. 

During the meeting, Shandra Benito, a member of the commission’s policy committee, said that the goal would be to “provide education, not solutions.” The panel would be open to community members and law enforcement.

Read more from Documenter Barbara Phipps:

Cleveland-Community-Police-Commission-CPC-Police-Policy-Committee-09_20_2023Download

Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell:

Signal background

Learn more:

ShotSpotter: A primer

On Oct. 10, Cleveland City Council passed legislation that would use about $2.75 million to expand ShotSpotter, a gunshot-detection technology.

by Doug Breehl-Pitorak

Service Journalism Reporter (she/her)
Dakotah is a journalist and audio producer dedicated to untangling bureaucracy and providing power (information) to the people of Cleveland. She spent 10 years on the frontlines of direct service working with youth and system-impacted communities before receiving her master's in media advocacy from Northeastern University. Dakotah is part of the Community team whose mission is to listen and amplify the issues Clevelanders care about most.

Cleveland Documenters pays and trains people to cover public meetings where government officials discuss important issues and decide how to spend taxpayer money.