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Agenda Item
4 This Item Regarding The OPD Shotspotter Contract Was Withdrawn By The September 19, 2024 Rules And Legislation Committee And Rescheduled To The October 8, 2024 Public Safety Committee Agenda
I worked at ShotSpotter from 2021 to 2023, directly involved in operations related to sensor installations and maintenance. During my time, I witnessed significant problems with ShotSpotter's operations and ethics. Many of the company's claims, such as a 97% accuracy rate, were inaccurate. Internal data revealed a much lower figure of 73%, with many sensors malfunctioning or vandalized. We often installed sensors without property owners' consent, particularly in predominantly Black and Brown communities, with no signed permissions for approximately 90% of installations. In Oakland, as in many other cities, these neighborhoods are over-surveilled while many of the sensors are out of service or malfunctioning.
Repairs were limited, capped at 100 per month across the country, leaving many neighborhoods, especially in places like Chicago and Oakland, with unreliable sensor networks. Despite the equipment’s failures, the company pushed us to cut corners and focus on installations that city officials prioritized, disregarding others. I reported these issues as a whistleblower to the SEC and Wired, exposing the manipulation of sensor data and the harmful, racially-biased deployment strategy. It is critical for Oakland City Council to reconsider this investment in a system that fails to protect public safety and perpetuates systemic inequality.
I worked at ShotSpotter from 2021 to 2023, directly involved in operations related to sensor installations and maintenance. During my time, I witnessed significant problems with ShotSpotter's operations and ethics. Many of the company's claims, such as a 97% accuracy rate, were inaccurate. Internal data revealed a much lower figure of 73%, with many sensors malfunctioning or vandalized. We often installed sensors without property owners' consent, particularly in predominantly Black and Brown communities, with no signed permissions for approximately 90% of installations. In Oakland, as in many other cities, these neighborhoods are over-surveilled while many of the sensors are out of service or malfunctioning.
Repairs were limited, capped at 100 per month across the country, leaving many neighborhoods, especially in places like Chicago and Oakland, with unreliable sensor networks. Despite the equipment’s failures, the company pushed us to cut corners and focus on installations that city officials prioritized, disregarding others. I reported these issues as a whistleblower to the SEC and Wired, exposing the manipulation of sensor data and the harmful, racially-biased deployment strategy. It is critical for Oakland City Council to reconsider this investment in a system that fails to protect public safety and perpetuates systemic inequality.