City Will Phase Out Acoustic Sensors by Year’s End
The Denver Police Department says it will let its contract for ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology expire at the end of 2026, ending more than a decade of automated gunfire alerting in the city, according to CBS Colorado and Denver7 reporting on the department’s August 20-21, 2026 announcement. The system uses acoustic sensors mounted on utility poles to detect the sound of gunfire and alert Denver’s 911 dispatch center, often before a human caller reports a shooting. Denverite reported the city’s contract with SoundThinking, the company behind ShotSpotter, is worth roughly $4.7 million and expires at the close of the year.
Rather than an abrupt shutdown, DPD says it will begin removing sensors from areas generating the fewest alerts first, with most of the network remaining active through the rest of 2026. According to Denver7, the department said it is evaluating “whether a new vendor can provide greater public safety benefits” and plans to launch a bidding process to assess alternative gunshot-detection capabilities while gathering community input on how to reallocate resources. As part of the initial ramp-down, DPD said it will begin phasing out ShotSpotter coverage specifically in the Sun Valley and Park Hill neighborhoods.
A Decade of Data on Alerts, Arrests and Recovered Firearms
In its release announcing the change, the department said that from 2020 through June 2026 the program generated 25,217 alerts, leading to 655 arrests and the recovery of 721 firearms, according to CBS Colorado. Officers also located shell-casing evidence tied to 6,672 of those alerts. Denver’s decision comes amid what Denver7 described as broader nationwide scrutiny of police gunshot-detection and surveillance technology, as cities weigh the systems’ operational value against their cost and questions about alert accuracy and community impact that have been raised in other jurisdictions.
What Happens Next
City officials have not yet named a preferred replacement vendor or detailed the criteria for the planned bidding process. The wind-down gives Denver several months to evaluate alternative gunshot-detection platforms and to solicit public feedback before the current sensor network is fully retired, according to the reporting from Denver7 and Denverite.
Leave a Reply