The gunshot detection pilot promised in two weeks is back to the drawing board. Procurement now aims for the first of the year

A week after 72% of voters backed gunshot detection, the City's buyer told the Council it is opening the pilot to every finalist from a 2025 bid. Members also asked about a $17.8 million software deal with no public bid.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Nov 10, 2026

The gunshot detection pilot the City said would have a vendor under contract within two weeks of Oct. 20 still has no vendor. At Monday's budget hearing, the Department of Procurement Services said it is now opening the pilot to the firms shortlisted in its long-running gunshot detection bid, instead of the single company it had been negotiating with (watch).

Why it matters: Chicago has had no gunshot detection since its ShotSpotter contract ended in 2024. On Nov. 3, 72% of voters backed bringing the technology back in an advisory question the Council put on the ballot 49-0, as we reported.

This follows our Oct. 28 story, when police leaders couldn't answer questions about the pilot.

What Procurement said

The change: the Chief Procurement Officer said she heard members' feedback and got "extensive inquiries" from vendors in the bid, and that the department is working with the Office of Public Safety Administration and the Police Department on "a broader path" that gives shortlisted firms access to the pilot. She cited last week's referendum as one reason.
What's being tested: a deputy explained that the pilot first meant one firm testing different technology; now it would mean several firms.
When: under questioning from Budget Committee chair Jason Ervin (28th), the department agreed the goal is a pilot negotiated and running by the first of the year, followed by an evaluation period. It promised a fuller update by the end of this week.
Why not switch the old system back on: the CPO said the ShotSpotter contract expired, so the City "cannot just turn a contract on."
The bid itself: one member said bids were due in April 2025. The department said it is still in active procurement, in the review before negotiations, and noted that the City's 911 dispatch system bid took about four years.

One member said the Council had asked the CPO to appear at a committee hearing on the pilot and got a letter instead, and told her that, absent more information, "it just appears that you're obstructing." Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) had the chair ask for the pilot's start date and length on the record (watch). Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) asked why a pilot is needed at all when the Police Department already tested products in the bid (watch).

A $17.8 million contract without a public bid

Villegas also raised a five-year, $17.8 million contract with the reseller Carahsoft for software for the Department of Fleet and Facility Management's Samsara vehicle cameras (watch). He said he could find no public request for proposals, and that the contract's special conditions list 0% participation by minority-, women- and veteran-owned firms.

Procurement said the City used a "reference agreement," buying through an existing contract rather than running its own solicitation. The CPO said she believes there is minority and women-owned participation and would provide the details through the chair. Villegas asked for a list of other contracts awarded the same way.

What our records add

The Council's last binding vote on gunshot detection was on Sept. 18, 2024, when it voted 33 to 14 to direct the Police Superintendent to sign a new contract or extension for the technology (O2024-0011032). No new contract followed.

How each ward voted

33 yea, 13 nay, 1 absent, 1 not voting · Sep 18, 2024 · Passed

Yea Nay Absent Not voting

O2024-0011032: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

The pilot is planned for six police districts on the South and West sides, the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th, as we reported. Monday's full notes, with each member's questions, are on our meeting page.

Sources: Block Club Chicago: Gunshot detection pilot planned, but details are sparse, Oct. 28, 2026.