A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)
,

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to employ a new tactic in the fight against crime and violence: sue gang members in civil court. But the plan is proving controversial.

The city’s Inspector General’s office reports that alerts by the gunshot detection technology system ShotSpotter used by the Chicago Police Department ‘rarely’ lead to evidence of a gun crime.

According to a new report from the city’s inspector general, alerts by the gunshot detection system ShotSpotter used by the Chicago Police Department “rarely” lead to evidence of a gun crime. 

(WTTW News)

A new study by Northwestern University’s MacArthur Justice Center found that 86% of ShotSpotter alerts resulted in no report of any crime, leading to questions of the gunfire detection system’s value in violence reduction.