Chicago Mayor Brand Johnson has issued a request for information (RFI) to help the city gather recommendations on reliable and efficient forms of first responder technology.
The RFI is intended to gather technology recommendations to ensure immediate attention from first responders in emergency situations. The RFI comes as the city decommissioned the use of acoustic gunshot detection technology from SoundThinking late last month.
In a press release, the city said that RFI submissions are encouraged from qualified vendors with extensive experience in first responder response technology.
“The ultimate goal is to deploy resources on the most effective strategies and tactics proven to accelerate the current downward trend in violent crime. We have to explore better options that save more lives,” said Mayor Johnson. “Through this RFI process, the City of Chicago will be able to aggressively look at equitable alternatives to help first responders acquire the absolute best community safety resources to aid them in reaching and responding to emergency scenes.”
Ahead of decommissioning the shot detection technology, the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety launched a working group that has worked for the last few months to address concerns and develop alternative options to continue increasing safety for Chicago residents and communities. Participants in the initial meetings of the working group include a diverse group of city and non-city employees who have worked directly with the current technology, are deeply involved in communities impacted by violence, and have extensive experience in law enforcement, violence interruption, and prevention.
“This working group has been and will continue to gather feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders and community leaders to assess tools and programs that effectively increase both safety and trust,” said Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood. “Chicago is not the first or the only big city to move away from this form of technology. We have been in communications with Seattle, Houston, San Antonio, and Portland – cities that have explored other options for technology – to discuss the strategies they are employing as alternatives.”
The working group is exploring options such as:
- Investing in victim prevention and victim assistance programs in schools and hospitals;
- Improving the monitoring capabilities and response times of first responders;
- Investing in first responder personnel to work with communities to help resolve crimes; and
- Increasing funding for street-level outreach programs and hiring violence interrupters.
“This Request for Information will allow the city to receive the most innovative ideas that will help us continuing moving in the right direction with community safety and provide more options for violence prevention resources,” said Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts.
