Denver council approves reduced gunshot-detection contract ahead of 2027 alternatives review

Denver City Council voted 11-0 on Sept. 14 to approve a reduced gunshot-detection contract with SoundThinking, formerly known as ShotSpotter, covering about 14 square miles of the city.

The contract amendment sets a maximum amount of $4,352,579. It removes about 2.15 square miles from the previous 16.12-square-mile service area, including coverage in Sun Valley and Park Hill. The 2026 service quote for the reduced area is $706,256.

The underlying agreement runs from Jan. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2026. The council’s action did not extend that term.

The vote followed concerns from Council Pro Tem Serena González Gutiérrez about the system’s performance and cost. She said more than 85% of alerts had no corresponding 911 call, shell casings were found in 20% or fewer of incidents in recent years, and Denver had spent about $9 million on the technology over roughly a decade.

González Gutiérrez also asked whether Denver police’s change in alert prioritization had increased patrol capacity. Under the department’s approach, alerts involving fewer than three shots generally are not dispatched to officers unless they are paired with a 911 call or occur in a persistently violent hotspot. Denver Police Commander Cliff Barnes said he did not yet have an answer and would research it.

Police and Department of Safety officials said 2027 will be used for a broader review rather than an immediate replacement purchase. The department plans to analyze current gunfire data, conduct proof-of-concept work and a gap analysis, seek community and City Council input, and use the findings to shape a future request for proposals.

Officials said current sensor locations rely on deployment data that is five to 10 years old and that future tools could be more mobile, precise or multifunctional. Barnes said the department wants any future recommendation to reflect “the most current and effective tools.”