SoundThinking Software Assisting in Reducing Gun Violence

Over the past five years, SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter) has assisted the city of North Chicago reduce gun violence by over 70%. Thus far, in 2026, gun violence offenses are down by 25% from the previous year. For these reasons the Public Safety Committee recommended that the City Council renew the agreement between the city of North Chicago and Sound Thinking.

SoundThinking is a public safety technology company best known for ShotSpotter, an acoustic gunshot detection system. The company changed its name from ShotSpotter to SoundThinking in 2023 as it expanded into other law enforcement and public safety software.

Here's how the gun violence prevention aspect works:

Acoustic gunshot detection: Networks of sensors are installed in an area to detect loud impulsive sounds. When multiple sensors detect what may be gunfire, software estimates the location using triangulation.

Human review: Before an alert is sent, trained acoustic analysts review the event to confirm whether it appears to be gunfire. According to the company, this process typically takes less than 60 seconds.

Police notification: If verified, responding officers receive the estimated location, number of shots, and sometimes additional information such as whether multiple shooters or automatic gunfire may be involved.

SoundThinking also offers:

• Crime investigation software.
• Case management tools.
• Patrol resource allocation software.
• Weapons detection systems for buildings.
• License plate recognition integration.