United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge Police Department
ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection, supplied by SoundThinking (ShotSpotter)
OperationalJournalismPAI-1DB6A6C8
- Body
- Cambridge Police Department
- Country
- United States
- Area
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Technology
- ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection
- Supplier
- SoundThinking (ShotSpotter)
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- Not known
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- The City Council voted 6-3 on 3 August 2026 to turn the system back on for at least 90 days while a resident or civic assembly studies it and makes a recommendation, according to NBC Boston; the City of Cambridge says the assembly will report to the council in December 2026.
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- NBC Boston, 18 August 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-1DB6A6C8
Notes
NBC Boston reported on 18 August 2026 that Cambridge Police had been using ShotSpotter for a decade before the City Council voted in May 2026 to end its use, and that the council then voted 6-3 on 3 August 2026 to turn it back on for at least 90 days while a resident or civic assembly studies the technology. A Cambridge Police spokesperson said ShotSpotter 'was reactivated for the Emergency Communications Center late Friday' and for the police department on the Monday morning, and the article says it is operating across all previously covered areas. NBC Boston links the reversal to the fatal shooting of a city employee, Xavier Bautista, on 4 July 2026. SoundThinking said it appreciated the council's decision. GBH News reported on 4 August 2026 that an ACLU of Massachusetts attorney, Gideon Epstein, referred to the technology having been active in Cambridge for the last 12 years; the start year is left empty because the sources differ. The City of Cambridge announced on 2 September 2026 a 40-member civic assembly on surveillance technology, including ShotSpotter, meeting from 24 October to 5 December 2026 and due to make recommendations to the council in December 2026. No source read gives an end date for the reactivation.
ShotSpotter acoustic gunshot detection elsewhere in United States
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Police DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesIllinois | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | — | Discontinued | |
| Denver Police DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesColorado | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2015 | Operational | |
| Albuquerque Police DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesNew Mexico | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2020 | Operational | |
| Worcester Police DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesMassachusetts | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2014 | Operational | |
| Richland County Sheriff's DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesSouth Carolina | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2022 | Operational | |
| Macon-Bibb County Sheriff's OfficeAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesGeorgia | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2022 | Operational | |
| Peoria Police DepartmentAI Gunshot Detection | United StatesIllinois | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | 2013 | Operational | |
| City of Fayetteville (North Carolina)AI Gunshot Detection | United StatesNorth Carolina | SoundThinking (ShotSpotter) | — | Operational | |
| US Customs and Border ProtectionAcoustic gunshot detection pilot (Invariant Corporation) | United StatesSouthwest border | Invariant Corporation | 2025 | Trial | |
| Drug Enforcement AdministrationGunshot detection system | United StatesNationwide | — | — | Operational | |
| Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesAccess to ShotSpotter via external state and local systems | United StatesNationwide | SoundThinking | — | Operational | |
| Richmond Police Department (Virginia)Flock Safety gunshot detection | United StatesRichmond, Virginia | Flock Safety | — | Operational |