[remote or in-person] Joint Committee: Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Public Safety

Politics

Monday, Sept. 30, 2024
10:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. CDT

121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

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Other notes and pre-research resources

This meeting may involve discussion of Special Service Areas (SSAs), which are hyperlocal taxing districts that are created to fund development and improvement of commercial strips. See a map of SSA districts here: https://data.cityofchicago.org/Community-Economic-Development/Boundaries-Special-Service-Areas/kjav-iyuj
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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Live reporting by Parker Garlough

Alders heard from suburban Oak Brook police about potential crime fighting technology. The meeting came just days after Mayor Brandon Johnson sunsetted the gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter in Chicago.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough

Hi, I’ll be live-tweeting today's joint meeting between the Economic, Capital and Technology Development Committee and the Public Safety Committee for #CHIdocumenters @CHIdocumenters

09:58 AM Sep 30, 2024 CDT

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 2/39

The meeting has been called to order.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 3/39

Michael [missed last name], public commenter: "I'm really not for the ShotSpotter, but the same time, it's incompetent to have nothing to replace it."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 4/39

He also criticized the alderpeople for a lack of in-person outreach outside of election season. "We need people on the doorsteps." He also said an increase in police patrols for non-emergency situations is needed.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 5/39

George Blakemore, public commenter: Committee meetings are a "pony show" because multiple are occurring at the same time so it's impossible to attend them all. He said "this is a broken system" and dared the alderpeople to throw him out. "It's evil. It's corrupt. All of you."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 6/39

Zoe Lee, public commenter: "You're not going to be able to push a socialist agenda in a capitalist society. The issue is the 'defund the police movement," which Lee said was connected to the "Hispanic KKK" who "didn't want police to do their job and arrest criminals."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 7/39

Lee's concerns about 'defund the police' are likely in response to the end of the city's contract with ShotSpotter. blockclubchicago.org/2024/09/23/as-…

blockclubchicago.org/2024/09/23/as-…

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 8/39

Jessica Jackson, public commenter: "As the head is, there goes the body. We have a corrupt, vindictive, and retaliatory head in the form of Mayor Brandon Johnson. He dictates what everybody does."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 9/39

The public comment section has concluded.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 10/39

Sergeant Jason Wood from the Oakbrook Police Department will present on StarChase, which is a "pursuit mitigation tool" that shoots GPS-tagged darts to track suspects' locations.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 11/39

StarChase can be used when car chases would be unsafe or aren't permitted, Wood said. The Oakbrook Police Department has been using it for "a few years."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 12/39

"It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than a possible lawsuit."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 13/39

The tags can be removed manually, Wood said, but the police department has had an "85-90% success rate when a tag is actually affixed"—it's rare for suspects to pull a tag off mid-chase.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 14/39

The short battery life of the tags (about 8 hours) avoids legal issues associated with long-term location tracking, Wood said.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 15/39

Alderperson Anthony Napolitano: "Really important technology." Can you share location tracking ability with agencies in surrounding municipalities? Wood: Yes.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 16/39

Vice Mayor Walter Burnett Jr.: "This is a fantastic product. The only thing that concerns me is, can you be accused of racial profiling with it?" Wood: "You can always be accused of that...We're able to covert follow cars and then follow without them realizing we're there."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 17/39

There are both vehicle-mounted and handheld versions of the launcher that releases the GPS-tagged devices.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 18/39

Wood: we use this technology on almost a weekly basis.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 19/39

Wood, in response to a question from Alderperson Desmon Yancy: StarChase has not been challenged in court in Illinois.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 20/39

Wood: Police officers attempt to recover used tags based on last location, but they do not recover and reuse all of them.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 21/39

In response to a question about uses in cases where a crime was not committed: "fleeing from a police car constitutes the conditions for using StarChase," but if the car stops voluntarily, "no harm, no foul."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 22/39

Alderperson Peter Chico: Oakbrook uses this tool primarily at one centralized location (the Oakbrook Shopping Center). Chicago would have a very different approach.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 23/39

Chico: How often do accidents happen? Wood: We've had zero collisions while using StarChase.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 24/39

Alderperson Jessica Fuentes: has StarChase caused any property damage? Wood: "You're not going to deploy this on a person ever." Under some circumstances, it can cause damage comparable to a golf ball.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 25/39

Sergeant Mark Spinrosa [unsure of name spelling]: Drones are "the future of law enforcement," due to the low costs and "essentially unlimited benefits" such as speed, safety of officers, and increased knowledge provided to the police department.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 26/39

Drones decrease use of force incidents, Spinrosa said. They're most commonly used for terrorism threats, missing persons cases, 911 calls, and special events (such as the DNC).

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 27/39

CPD currently has 3 licensed drone pilots.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 28/39

Many Lollapalooza attendees called to notify the police of people on rooftops, and police monitored them with drones.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 29/39

Spinrosa attributed the 50% decrease in use of force incidents associated with drones to "increased situational awareness" and fewer perception-based mistakes (such as mistaking harmless objects for weapons).

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 30/39

"We have 5 drones. We're proud of those drones," but other cities have more drones (e.g. NYC has 55), so "we're a bit behind the curve," Spinrosa said.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 31/39

He expects drones to help with recruitment because people will think being hired as a drone pilot is "exciting."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 32/39

Spinrosa: Drone battery lasts 30 min. Drones are functional in cold weather, heavy wind, and light rain.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 33/39

The cameras are "the best available," with thermal and magnification abilities.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 34/39

NYPD uses drones to spot distressed swimmers, Spinrosa said. "The possibilities of that really excite me."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 35/39

The police department is hoping to increase the number of drone-operating officers from 3 to 12.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 36/39

The drone segment of the police department is "bootstrapped," Spinrosa said. They're hoping to increase funding next budget season.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 37/39

In response to a question about tracking: "We take concerns very seriously. We would not want to violate anybody's rights. We only use drones in public settings where there's no expectation of property," Spinrosa said.

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 38/39

The alderperson (who is not visible on-screen) repeated their question. Spinrosa: "We do not retain video unless a crime was committed. Then, we're required to notify the state attorney's office."

Parker Garlough @parker_garlough 39/39

The meeting is adjourned.

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Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

If you attend a meeting in person, be prepared to go through a security checkpoint and show photo ID.

Meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page. If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Recordings of past City Council meetings may be found here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763/videos/sort:date.

See also: “What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council” via the Better Government Association.