Report: SoundThinking often modifies ShotSpotter alerts at police request

Police departments are regularly asking SoundThinking to alter or delete alerts generated by its ShotSpotter AI-powered gunshot detection technology, raising concerns about the reliability and integrity of the evidence generated by the system and its use in court cases.

Citing internal documents and interviews with former employees, a Vice News report reveals that ShotSpotter's human reviewers frequently modify alerts at the request of police departments, including changing the location, time, or even deleting the alert altogether. It also notes that modifications may be made without clear justification or explanation.

The potential consequences of these modifications, include altered evidence being used in court cases, potentially leading to wrongful convictions; police departments relying on incomplete or inaccurate information to inform their investigations; and the erosion of trust in the ShotSpotter system and its ability to provide reliable evidence.

The article suggests that these modifications may be driven by a desire to improve the system's accuracy or to align with police departments' existing narratives, but ultimately, they undermine the integrity of the evidence and raise questions about the accountability of both ShotSpotter and the police departments using the technology.

➕ October 2021. SoundThinking (then named ShotSpotter) filed a defamation lawsuit against Vice Media LLC for "deliberately misrepresent[ing] court records and falsely accus[ing] the company of illegal behavior."

➕ August 2022. SoundThinking's defamation lawsuit is dismissed as Vice News publishes Editor's Note amending reporting about the Michael Williams and Silvon Simmons cases.

➕ January 2023. An internal SoundThinking document shared with the AP revealed that ShotSpotter relies heavily on human review and analysis to function accurately