All right, there we go.

Give us some life in this room.

The regular section of June 30th, 2026.

Come to order, Madam Clerk.

Will you please call the role?

Yes, Mr.

President.

Councilmember Scott Venson.

Councilmember Letitia Johnson.

President.

Councilmember Denzel and Tom McCampbell.

Councilmember Renata Miller.

Councilmember Gabriella Santiago Romero.

President.

Councilmember Mary Waters.

President.

Councilmember Angela Whitfield Callaway.

Council President Pro Tim Culminate on the second.

Council President James Tate.

Here.

Mr.

President, you have a quorum.

Thank you.

We have a quorum, which means we're now at session.

There being a quorum present.

Again, we're in a session.

We would like to be in, as I mentioned earlier.

There are individuals here who would like to provide public comment.

Please raise your hand.

Excuse me.

Please raise your hand.

And someone from the team will come by and provide you with a public comment card.

If you're at home watching on Zoom, and you would like to, I see uh Richard over here.

Tim, we got a got a hand.

Uh, if you are at home, please raise your hand as well.

So we will place you in the queue.

We have a number of individuals, as I mentioned earlier.

Uh, I'm letting everyone know in advance that we're going to have truncated public comments.

So uh we went from about two minutes to one minute to potentially a little less than that.

I'm gonna be honest with you based on the cards that I have in person.

Yep, yep.

Yep.

All right, all righty.

So providing this morning's invocation, we have none other than Minister uh Vashal L.

Moore Jr., associate pastor and community outreach liaison for the rising star ministry Baptist Church, located 11525 Whittier Street in City Council District for through his ministry as a and as well as founder and CEO of Chosen Mentoring.

Uh, he has devoted himself to serving young people and families by combining faith, mentorship, and community engagement to help others reach their full potential.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming our minister more to the floor.

Minister Rashalmore.

First given reference to God who's the head of my life, to my pastor in his absence, Pastor GA McNeil, to my beautiful family, my wife, my daughters, and my aunt who's in the audience, and to this awesome council and to the residents of the city of Detroit.

Um, I was reminded of a scripture in First Timothy chapter two, verses one through three, where the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to pray the priority everywhere he went.

He emphasizes that Christians must pray for all people, specifically including governing leaders.

This passage is called to move our prayer lives beyond just our personal circle, our needs, and our friends.

It encourages us to intercede for our communities, our governments, and even our own enemies by demanding prayer for all people.

Paul is insisting that salvation is not exclusive to one ethnic group, nation, or social status.

My brothers and sisters, let us go to the throne of grace, heavenly Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the great I am.

We come before you today, lifting up our voices in one accord.

We thank you for the diverse, resilient, and beautiful city of Detroit.

Lord, we invite your Holy Spirit to saturate this room to take absolute control of this chamber and let your divine fire fall upon these leaders today.

Lord, we specifically lift up Mayor Mary Sheffield as she leads our executive branch.

Grant her clarity of vision, strength of spirit, and an enduring spirit of collaboration to work hand in hand with this council for the betterment of all the residents in the city of Detroit.

Let your divine protection cover her administration as they drive our city forward.

Holy Spirit, we cry out right now for the hearts of our city council members.

We pray that you knit their hearts together in absolute unity, remove every wall of division, every spirit of discord and every political barrier.

Let them stand together as one body focused on one mission, uplifting the people of Detroit, guide them with your supernatural grace and love.

Let love be the blueprint for every discussion, let grace be the foundation for every debate.

Let grace be the foundation for every debate.

When differences arise, let your peace overrule frustration.

Give them the patience to listen, the humility to understand, and a profound love for one another that reflects your love for this city.

Let their unity become a beacon of hope for every neighborhood in Detroit.

We also place the youth and children of Detroit in our in your hands, Father.

They are not just the future of the motor city, but uh they are the heartbeat of our future.

We pray for their safety, their education and their peace.

Bless the city's initiatives to give them a voice to keep them safe during the summer, safe recreations and employment, protect our young people from violence and despair, and plant them within a spirit of hope and purpose.

Holy Spirit, we stretch our prayers further today.

We look out across Lansing and ask that you lift up our state representatives.

We look towards Washington and ask that you lift up the head of the country right now, God.

God, we cry out today, have mercy, Lord.

Have mercy on our leaders, oh Lord, have mercy on their hearts and their minds.

Have mercy right now, God.

Strip them from the temptation of popularity and fame.

Have mercy and we ask that you dismantle every hidden agenda and every selfish ambition and every snare of political pride.

Let them not be corrupt by the applause of this world.

Let these great leaders lead with wisdom like Solomon to navigate complex decisions.

The heart of David to Shepherd this community with grace.

Let your glory manifest in Detroit, God, in our state and across this great nation.

Bless their families, protect their homes, and establish the work of their hands.

In the mighty, unmatchable and holy name of Jesus, we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks so much.

You are more than welcome to stay with us this afternoon.

But we understand totally if you have a schedule that you have to attend to.

And as we proceed, I do want to note that member uh Renata Miller, Renata Miller did send a memo indicating that she would be delayed this morning, Madam Clerk.

So her phone note, Mr.

President.

Thank you so much.

The Journal of the Session of Tuesday, June 16th, will be approved.

We do have a special presentation this morning by the Bell Isle uh Conservancy, and we're gonna bell out annual report.

Uh Louise Hunt, come on down.

And Madam Clerk, if you can also know that we've been joined by member McCampbell.

Clerk will sell note, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

That's our DNR team coming up forward.

And then we have a again, as I mentioned earlier, as you see, we have a lot of folks here today.

So we're just asking for a more truncated report than you would have done in the past, Megan.

You remember how it was when you were on this side of the uh the government uh field here.

So thank you so much.

And also would like to note that we are closing or cutting off the collection of public comments cards right now.

The floor is yours.

Thank you.

Hit that button in front of you in front of the mic and to the turns green.

To the chair, good morning, uh mayor and council and good morning to the public.

Uh, my name is Seren Papakian, and I'm the urban district manager for the state of Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and I'm joined here today by Louise Hunt, her park supervisor, Amanda Treadwell, uh, the urban district field planner and Lieutenant Damon Owens uh from the uh conservation office of the DNR.

Um before I start my presentation, if I may, um, I would like to express my deepest condolences on the incomprehensible loss of Amina Bradley that occurred at Maharis Gentry Park over the weekend.

We grieve with the Bradley family in the city of Detroit.

Her acts were heroic.

May she rest in peace.

Uh uh to the chair, I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to present to this honorable body on behalf of the DNR and for uh Bel Isle Park.

Um it actually says the host won't let me share my screen.

Somebody need to let me share share that screen.

Uh to start, I'd like to talk about BIPAC, which is a committee uh that we share uh with the Bell Isle Conservancy, and we meet um seven days a week, or excuse me, seven days a year.

And we have three following meetings left that will be held at the Flynn Pavilion.

And the first one will be on October 17th.

It's chaired by Dr.

Megan Elliott, who's here from the Bell Isle Conservancy, and the other members that can be seen on the screen.

The next meeting will be held July 17th again at the Flynn Pavilion.

We encourage the public to come out and take part in Bell Isle Park.

The responsibilities on Bell Island include the ownership, the city of Detroit, of course.

Management is my team here, the Department of Natural Resources on behalf of the state of Michigan.

Roads and bridges are overseen by MDOT, the Department of Transportation.

Public safety is the DNR law enforcement, which includes our conservation officers.

And the park advocacy group that we work well with on the island is the Bal Isle Conservancy.

We have many municipal departments here in the city of Detroit.

This includes General Services Department, the police department, public works, VC, water and sewerage department, and the DPD or DFD.

I'd like to introduce myself.

So I'm very happy to be back here in KMA.

And I was here on Friday having lunch.

And I remain deeply grateful for the continued opportunity to serve the residents of Detroit.

Moving forward, the Michigan DNR has a workforce on Bell Isle that is comprised of many employees, 25 state worker positions, and one uh director of volunteer services position that's jointly funded and managed with the DNR and the Bell Isle Conservancy.

There are additional job opportunities that are uh available to Detroiters and to residents of the state of Michigan.

If you want to learn more, you can click on this link online and find out more on governmentjobs.com or the state of Michigan's website.

Uh we have basically good news to report, which is park attendance continues to grow.

Uh we continue to invest, and uh we're very appreciative for the cooperation with the city of Detroit.

I'll turn it over now to our Lieutenant Damon Owens uh to speak on law enforcement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, council members.

Good morning, Mr.

President.

I am Lieutenant Damon Keith Owens.

Um seeing you all in years past, it's great to see you again.

I'm in a new role.

This is my first council meeting as the uh first lieutenant.

Um just to review a few things, thank you.

Uh to view a few things, what we do is uh answer calls for service.

Obviously, public safety and health is the most important thing to to us out there on the island.

Um calls for service in in this past year was a 503, and that's actually calling uh 911 Michigan State Police Hotline in reporting context 18,664 citations that were issued were 1,205 along with 1,938 warnings given.

So you may ask what are the main reasons for citations, and I can tell you right now it's speed speed enforcement out on Bell Isle is something that we are trying to mitigate as well as possible.

Um the park obviously is 25 miles per hour, and we are issuing citations.

We are all radar certified out there and LIDAR certified.

And um we're not just doing five over, we're doing anyone going up double the speed limit where there's a safety issue involved with children running around.

Um along with that, once speed enforcement is taking place, we do get insurance, driver's license, seat belt, and other alcoholic drugs as well when we do make a stop.

But if you see on the slide there uh in front of you on the paper, 889 of our citations were related to speed enforcement.

We're not just only conservation officers who are state law enforcement officers out there.

We also have Michigan State Police as well, and uh we work well with the Detroit Police Department in that precinct area as well as tech ops.

So I'm grateful to have those relationships with those agencies and hopefully we can continue to grow stronger and stronger.

One of our more specific things is community engagement.

We'll do uh community relations with Metro Youth Day.

I'm sure you're all familiar with that every year.

I love it.

It's great, great time to get the youth out there and actually find out what we as conservation officers do because a lot of people may not know our job duties and responsibilities.

So we explained that pretty well.

Um we also go out to the senior, we have seniors come in, we'll talk about fishing activities, what's what's popular in the Detroit River, et cetera.

And then we get out with the kids and the children in our city youth to teach them how to fish and enjoy the outdoors.

That's all I have for our law enforcement report.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Congratulations again.

So thank you.

I'm pleased to report an overview of infrastructure investment.

Uh thank you.

Sorry.

Infrastructure investment summary on Bell Island Park.

So since 2014, uh the DNR with our partners, uh, stakeholders have invested over 185 million dollars in the park that includes all capital investments and operational investments as well.

Uh you can see there are significant project that we completed this year is the Ralph C.

Wilson Trail into a cycle track around the park.

Uh, and that's allowing us to make great strides to connect Belle Isle to the riverfront in Detroit neighborhoods.

Um for fiscal year 2025, we've invested over 11 million dollars.

Again, this breakdown is capital investments, um, repairs and operations, uh, including DNR, other division expenses, such as um LED, fish and wildlife, and uh marketing communications to the public.

Um for infrastructure, the 2025 total was about $2 million.

Uh, this represents vast advancements in uh multimobility around the park.

Uh these projects listed here represent recommendations out of the Belle Isle Multimodal Mobility Study.

Uh that's improving circulation in the park, um, including road reductions to help reduce uh speeds in courage safer driving, uh, the cycle track trails, and then reconnecting Vista Avenue through the former zoo area for better circulation, and a green infrastructure parking lot funded by the nature conservancy.

In addition, we'll be implementing wayfinding signage this summer to help folks navigate around the park.

Uh so this year we're finalizing the last 23 million dollars of ARPA investment in the park.

Uh, that's um the total of 35 million in ARPA funding.

To date, we've completed the restoration of the Bell Conservatory with all new glass and structural repairs, uh casino roof uh repairs, which included interior improvements and ADA accessibility features.

We've also removed the deteriorated uh infrastructure at the zoo, which is a health safety well concern for our visitors, and opening up new 20 acres on the east side of that site that'll be ecologically restored and include nature trails in the future.

Um, as well, we completed a facility plan for the conservatory greenhouse and aquarium.

This will guide future investment in that uh key iconic facility in the park, including site improvements around those buildings.

And uh what we're working on through this fall, uh we'll be uh completing the HAC for the Bell Aquarium, which it'll be cooler in the summer.

So folks going in next year will have some relief uh going in to watch the fish, uh, and then continue stabilization of the Scott Fountain and um shelter improvements, and then as well uh park-wide capital investment plan uh we work together with the conservancy on to guide investment for um key facilities throughout the park.

And I'll just share share some photos illustrating highlights of that work I just reviewed here.

So uh there's the casino roof repair, which included uh new skylight and improvements for the stained glass medallion.

Uh shelters, uh popular shelters are being repaired now.

Shelter two and shelter eight are getting structural repairs, and we'll have bathroom improvements, and then the athletic shelter, which is a centrally located shelter, we'll have um all new ADA bathrooms.

And then the athletic shelter, which is a centrally located shelter, will have all new ADA bathrooms.

We'll have our first adult facility bathroom there for the public and improving baby changing stations and all bathrooms.

All right.

And then here's uh Scott Fountain work underway.

Uh, you can see here we've completely put in new structural supports for that lower tier basin.

Uh the concrete is poured, and we'll be putting in uh the new marble next month.

Uh, you can see here uh work on the marble being cut.

Uh this is handwork done to have all details uh reintroduced, like the bevel and um the marvel design will allow for another hundred years of this building um to be stable.

All right, and then lastly, I just want to wrap up with some of the ecological restoration going on around the park.

Uh, you can see some native plants that have been um planted around the Wilson Trail to stabilize the shoreline.

And then again, uh here's a lovely view of the 20 acres where the former zoo was that we'll be implementing ecological restoration, native habitat, and green trails in the future.

Thank you.

I'd like to turn it over to Megan Elliott, uh BIC president.

To the chair, in the interest of time, I will be lightning quick.

Um, I am just gonna skip over a couple things and make just three quick points.

Um, the first is that our North Star is to make Bell Isle the most welcoming park in America.

So if there are initiatives that your council offices are working on where we can partner on Bell Isle, we would love to do that.

Um, secondly, uh we spoke to over 12,000 Detroiters in uh 2025 over the course of the summer to really learn and understand their priorities for the island, which has led us to my third point, our capital projects.

Um moving forward as the Bell Isle Conservancy is the lead um fundraiser for grants and and private donations to the island to help support um capital initiatives.

We're gonna be working on the Heart of the Commons, which is a concept that we presented to you last year and have worked with um the Historic Commission and others at the city on.

Um we will be fully restoring the White House um and the stable grounds to turn that into a more welcoming space with year-round food and beverage.

Um the Remick Banshell and the Nancy Brown Peace Carolon are really critical assets on the island that need restoration.

Um the beach expansion to Insulroo, which is another extremely popular project, as you all know, and as we'll see this week.

Um, and then the Scott Fountain Marble repurposing into new art.

Um, so we're very excited to work on those and to partner with each of your offices.

And with that, I will turn it over for QA.

All right.

Colleagues, any questions, comments regarding the report that we just were providing.

Uh member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President, and good morning.

Thank you all for the presentation.

Um, I'm wondering if someone can just share with the public um the proposed development that was all over the media.

Um, if you can talk about whether or not there was an RP that was submitted, um, the status of that, so we can clear the air.

Sure.

Uh there was no uh RFP submitted, and there was no proposal of any kind submitted to the state of Michigan DNR.

And we have no plans of uh moving forward with absolutely no proposal, and nor do we have any idea of turning over our loved Belle Isle Park to a developer.

Thank you for that.

Um, just wanted to make sure the public was clear on that, and that it was just a proposal or I'm not even sure why the media picked it up, but um, thank you for that clarification.

Do you all have an update on the Detroit Boat Club?

Uh we do.

Uh we do have a submitted proposal, and that is moving along.

The developer is named David Carlton, and uh I just got a tour of the facility last week.

I'm new on my position, and he is making moves um to repair the roof, and he's on track for the development.

So everything's within the timeline.

We've been meeting with him monthly to go over things, everything's on track, and I'm really excited.

All right, excellent.

Um, can you share how that's being funded?

Uh uh sure.

That's a um conglomeration of funding, partially the state of Michigan DNR, private money.

Uh, Megan, if I'm missing anything to the chair, that project relies on private donations um that are being raised by Stuart Pittman, which is the development group.

Okay, all right, awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh, and and really glad to see the work done at the Bell Isle Casino.

That's where I get married a number of years ago.

So uh thank you.

Thank you.

Uh broken yeah.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh thank you extra presentation.

It's always good to see you.

I just wanted to ask you first question where are they gonna remove all the dead wood from the islands and the lagoons?

What about the dead trees uh being removed from the woods on the island?

And when will the Scott Fountain finally be completed?

To uh answer the question regarding the dead wood in uh Belle Isle and the lagoons.

Uh that was uh that was created from a flooding issue on the southwest side of the island.

And we have determined um with our wildlife division that the dead trees still serve a purpose, which is um eagles offspray, they actually nest and stay in these uh on top of these dead trees.

So with our wildlife division, we've decided to keep that um that uh natural area.

Um and then the uh Scott Fountain, forgive me the that second question, one more time.

Uh councilman.

No, no, no, no, that uh that is uh what is Scott Foundant gonna be reopened?

Uh that is looking to be slated for next summer.

Um we are finalizing some repairs with the ARPA money that we received from the federal government this summer.

I appreciate that.

And uh do we have a date of when that's gonna be?

Do we have a lot of different things?

Uh we do not have a date as of right now.

But uh next summer, summer of 2027.

But no actual date or or close to gas.

Closer to next summer.

Okay, a percentage or probability.

We're we're we're almost complete with our ARPA with the first phase of the ARPA funding, and um we're looking at next summer, and we're anxiously awaiting uh just like everybody else.

Okay, I also wanted to ask you really quickly about your flood, what's your flood closure hours?

Do you track those?

Do you clap track your flood closure reduction rate?

And what's the standard for that?

The minimal standard is five percent annual reduction, and like the excellent standard is like 20% annual reduction.

I've seen a lot of ponds due to stormwater.

So, what are the hours and what are the standards for your hours, flood closure, hours, flood closure reduction rates?

No, I don't have enough information to speak to flood closures, but we do occasionally close the island due to capacity issues.

Is that what we're referring to or something else?

Okay, so we determine when to close the island based on a numeric count of cars, which we receive um from our uh law enforcement division.

At that point, operations become um it becomes a public safety issue.

So we unfortunately have to close the island.

And once we have a you know a number of cars off of the island, we do reopen to the public.

Um again, this is for health and safety.

We don't want anyone to get hurt.

Okay, uh and this is my final question.

I don't want to ask about the natural areas for the eagles uh in the woods.

We're not talking about the dead, removing the dead wood.

I'm talking about the natural areas for eagles in the woods, and I'm talking about the lagoons.

Are we gonna be remove that from them?

Um I we don't have plans at this time, but that's a consideration, and I will take your uh word for that.

Thank you.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Uh member Benson.

All right, thank you.

Uh thank you all for being here.

Speaking of the wildlife, can you just talk about the wildlife, what we're seeing?

I had a chance to see some of the uh bald eagles on the island.

I was unaware that we have osprey on the island as well.

I know there was a challenge with deer at one time.

Just where are we with the natural wildlife bringing it back?

I know that there is a box, there's a turtle crossing sign at the uh bank.

So just what's going on with our natural wildlife there.

I know there's a conversation regarding a coyote habitat at the bank as well.

You all just talk about that, please.

So what I can say is the natural habitat is coming back.

Um I spent my whole life going to Bell Isle and I've never seen it looking so um the animals are happy they're around.

I was walking my dog this weekend, there's snakes out.

Um we have put lots of money into uh natural rehabilitation along the shoreline.

Um so we're seeing a lot of that natural life coming back.

Um so that that is as much as I can say to that with eight weeks at my position.

Um the chair, Councilmember Benson, you asked about the coyote habitat as well.

So the um Belle Isle Nature Center um is operated by the Detroit Zoo, and there are wild coyotes on the island.

Um, but you know, it's still safe to be there.

I just want to encourage people, that's always been the case.

Um, and uh the zoo is interested in helping um folks learn more about that habitat um with with the build out of that project.

Um I don't know the timeline and status right now of when that is expected to be completed.

And then can you talk about the bald eagles, the osprey and the other lesser known wildlife that we have on the island?

Yes, through the chair.

It is a uh extremely diverse habitat.

Um I just got a picture uh from a friend this morning who saw a bald eagle, and to the point about the tree canopy, the structural diversity is really essential.

Um we're at the the cross point of two international flyways for migratory birds.

Um so for folks, folks in the birding community or people that just feel calmer when they hear bird song.

Um that's uh Bell Isle is a really important place to be.

Um, in terms of our tree canopy citywide, you know, we have 200 acres of natural um wet mezzo forest on the island.

So it's really really a special habitat um for all the the species um that Serene mentioned.

And um we we do a lot of programming to help people come out and kind of walk through the forest and engage with um all the diversity of habitat that we have out there.

Okay, and who's responsible for managing the habitat?

Thank you.

Uh the DNR, so it's park management.

So our park rangers and park supervisors.

Um, we go out there and we we manage anything that might happen if you know we get a report of a um an injured animal or something like that.

We we contact wildlife division.

Um, so it's really the DNR as a whole that kind of steps in and assists with managing that wildlife.

So then are we tracking the numbers?

We know what the nests are.

You know, we really doing having bald eagles within the city limits, it's a pretty unique opportunity in the urban city of this nature.

I just want to make sure that we're properly managing, that we're tracking that we're letting people know about this opportunity when it comes to viewing nature that you would probably only see in larger uh federal or state parks, much further away from the urban centers such as Detroit.

Yes, yep, yeah, our wildlife division, we work closely with their wildlife division too.

They they come out and they survey the island and and they they keep track of our wildlife populations as well.

And then, of course, if we have any issues or concerns, we we contact them right away to come out and take a look and help us with you know mitigating anything that would pose a threat to wildlife or you know anything like that.

So okay, well, thank you.

And hopefully next year when you all come back at your next presentation, you'll be able to give us an inventory of what type of animals we could see at Bell Isle and see if there's an increase decrease in those numbers.

So hopefully a little more in depth on that type of information.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further, member McCamp.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um, good morning.

Just two quick questions.

Um the beach and the facilities there, um, especially around the bathrooms and for folks to change.

Uh, do we have are there any plans to upgrade those facilities?

And also if you can share how often um those facilities are clean and maintained.

Sure.

So the facilities are cleaned and maintained multiple times a day.

Um, we have multiple shifts.

We have a day shift and a night shift, and then uh we also have a contract with a janitorial company that comes and cleans through the night as well, so that they're ready to go for the next day.

So I would say um anywhere from four to five times a day, and then um spot checks in between, or if we get reported that a facility was in need of more care, then we hit it right away as as the reports come in.

Um as far as the renovation to the beach building goes, I'll pass that over.

Uh through the chair, um, I know I went really fast in my part of the presentation, but one of the big initiatives that we'll be working on fundraising for is the renovation of the bathhouse at the beach, um, the pavilion where the food trucks park, and then um doubling the width of the beach.

So we know that historically the beach used to run all the way to Insulroo Avenue, which is truly double the size of what it is now.

And because it's such an important asset for Detroit and the only beach within our city limits, um, that was part of our engagement last summer to learn if that was a priority um for Detroiters to have more beach, which of course it was.

It was one of the most popular projects.

So that's what we're fundraising to work on now.

And hopefully I'll have a better update for you on where we are in that process next year.

Thank you.

And uh one final question, um maybe for the first lieutenant.

Uh on the traffic stops.

Uh I know you listed insurance, but is insurance a primary reason that you would pull someone over, or is that what you find once you pull someone over?

Uh no, to the chair.

The the uh insurance would be after the fact.

The the speed enforcement is our our primary reasoning for a stop or traffic enforcement.

Okay, and then along with that, as law enforcement says license proof of insurance, things like that.

Okay, and then along with that, as law enforcement says, license, proof of insurance, things like that, and then we come up with those subsidiaries after the uh the enforcement activity.

Just just checking because I know we need to bring down insurance rates, and I know that is a barrier for a lot of folks, so I just wanted to make sure.

Um, you know, we want folks follow the law, but also then join Bill.

Absolutely primary.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

All right, thank you, colleagues.

Any further?

Seeing none, we want to thank you for this presentation.

Thank you so much.

Absolutely looking forward to next year, if not before.

You all take care of be safe.

Well, all right, madam clerk.

There being no unfinished business uh or uh reconsiderations, we will proceed with the president's reports on standing committee referrals and other matters uh for the budget finance and audit standing committee.

Five reports from various city departments.

The five reports will be referred to the budget finance and audit standing committee for the internal operations standing committee.

Two reports from various city departments, the two reports will be referred to the internal operations standing committee for the neighborhood and community services standing committee, a submittal of a memorandum.

The memorandum will be referred to the neighborhood and community services standing committee for the planning and economic development standing committee.

One report from the planning and development department.

The one report will be referred to the planning and economic development standing committee for the public health and safety standing committee.

Eight reports from various city departments.

Eight reports will be referred to the public health and safety standing committee.

We will now move to voting action matters under under other matters.

There are no items, Mr.

President.

On the communications from the mayor and other governmental officials and agencies.

Thank you.

We will now call for public comment.

And as I mentioned earlier, everyone, we do have a number of public comment cards.

But before us, we have in total 110 cards that are collected.

So again, as I mentioned, I'm going to have to truncate the time frame that uh provide everyone.

I'll be the bad guy if I have to be.

Part of my job is to make sure that maintain the flow of the media and get us now through these discussions, because there still will be discussions after we've complete the uh public comment.

I wanted to let everyone know as well that uh for those of you who have not participated in public comment in the past, the body does not respond uh immediately after someone speaks.

We allow everyone to speak and go through their public comment entirely in its entirety, and then we provide comments.

So just to let you know again what to expect.

And the other thing to expect is uh 50 seconds uh for public comment, and it'll allow for a little over an hour and a half of overall public comment from the body from individuals who are looking to provide comments to this particular body.

Okay, I believe you you I promise you you'll be able to communicate it all too.

We've done this before.

Uh our first speaker, Kyra Hardwick, followed by Alexander Hawkins, followed by Earl Weaver.

Thank you again for everyone's page.

I understand it is good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning, council president Tate, Pro Tim Home, and distinguished uh council body.

My name is Kaya Hardwick.

I'm a community activist and member of the LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to show support for violence prevention technology in the form of shot spotter program.

LIP stands on two things saving lives and changing lives of the youth and community truth.

That's that's what we support.

That's why we support this technology.

It saves lives and gives a chance to change their lives.

The Live and Peace Organization has supported this technology in the past, and we will stand in full support of the shot spotter being a shot stopper.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And just want to let everyone know if you're looking to see how much time you have on the clock, it is uh being shown on the two monitors above.

Our next speaker, Alexander Hawkins, followed by Earl Weaver, followed by Tory Weaver.

Uh good morning.

Good morning.

Good morning, Council.

Uh President Pro Team Colby and distinguished count council body.

My name is Alexander Hawkins.

I am a community active and member of LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to show support for the for uh for violence of prevention technology in the form of uh of the uh shot spotter program.

LIP stand on two things saving lives and changing lives of the youth and community.

Truth that uh truth and that's why we support the technology say save lives and give us a chance to uh change their lives.

Thank you.

The Living Peace organization has supported this technology in the past.

Excuse me, sir.

Thank you so much for time.

Oh, okay.

Thank you.

And uh, Mr.

Huff, if we can ensure we have the alert.

Mr.

Huff, please ensure we have the alert on the timer.

Our next speaker will be Earl Weaver, followed by Tory Weaver, followed by Arthur Mayes.

Good morning, Council President Tate, Pro Team Pro Tim Coleman Young and Distinguished Council body.

My name is Earl Weaver.

I am a community activist and member of the LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to show support for violence prevention technology in the form of the shock spotter program.

LIP stands on two things, saving lives and changing lives of the youth and community truth.

And that's why we support this technology, saves lives and gives us a chance to change their lives.

The Living Peace Organization has supported this technology in the past, and we still stand in for support of the shot spotter.

Thank you so much.

Being a shot stopper.

Thank you.

Um team, I'm asking again if we can implement the notice, the alert.

Okay, so he's gonna shut it down and bring it back up.

All right, we're gonna give him time to do that because I want to make sure the folks are not cut off by me, but they recognize the alert.

Sound should be working now, sir.

Thank you.

All right, thank you so much.

Our next speaker.

Uh Mr.

Earl Weaver, followed by Tori Weaver, followed by Arthur Mays.

Uh hello, good morning, council members.

Um, my name is Troy Weaver.

I'm a community activist, a member of LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to show support for the violence prevention technology in the form of the shop spotter program.

Living stands on two things saving lives and changing lives of the youth and community truth.

That's why we support this technology.

It saves lives and gives us the chance to change their lives.

The Living Peace organization has supported this technology in the past, and we will stand in full support of the shot spotter being a shot stopper.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Tori Reaver, followed by Arthur Mays, followed by Damon Hartwick.

Hello, good morning, Council.

President Tatum Podem Young.

I distinguished the council body.

My name is Arthur Mays.

I am a community activist and member of LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to show support for violence prevention technology and form of the shot spotter program.

LIP stands on two things: saving lives and changing lives of the youth and community.

Truth and debt with why we support the technology saves lives and give us a chance to change their lives.

The Living Peace Movement Organization has supported the technology in the past and will stand in full support of the shot spotter.

Thank you.

Living peace.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Damon uh Hardwick, followed by DeAndre Graves, followed by Robin Peoples.

Good morning, Council President Tate, President Potting, Holdman A.

Young, and distinguished members of the city council.

My name is Damon Harwick, and I'm a community activist and member of the Living Peace organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to express my support for violence prevention technology, specifically the shot spotter program.

LIP, we stand on two principles, saving lives and changing lives within our youth and our communities.

That is why we support this technology.

It helps save lives and gives us the opportunity to reach individuals and help change their lives.

The Living Peace the Living Peace organization has supported this technology in the past, and we continue we continue to stand firmly in support of the Shot Spider Program because we believe it can truly be a shot stopper.

Thank you.

I apologize for mispronouncing the name too, bro.

Next speaker, DeAndre Graves, followed by Robin Peoples, followed by the Mono Peoples.

Uh good morning, Council.

My name is DeAndre Gracie.

I am a community activist and member of the Living Peace Organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to express my support for the violence prevention technology through the shot spotter program.

And Living Peace, our mission is built on two principles saving lives and changing lives.

We work every day to reach the young, reduce violence, and bring hope to our community.

We believe this technology also helps accomplish that mission by providing law enforcement and first responder with uh faster information that can help save lives when gunfire occurred.

Our organization has uh supported this technology in the past, and we can continue to stand firmly behind it today.

We believe um shot spiders can be a true uh help to the community.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Robin Peoples, followed by Domano Peoples, followed by Pastor Mo.

Mr.

President and the Council.

Good morning.

My name is Robin Peoples, and I'm a community activist and member of the LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor No.

I'm here today to show support for the violence prevention technology in the form of the Shot Spider Program.

LIP stands for two things, saving lives and changing lives.

We are here to support this technology and believes that it saves lives and gives us a chance to change their lives.

The Living Peace organization has supported this technology in the past, and we stand in full support of the shot spider being a shot stopper.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Demano Peoples, followed by Pastor Mo, followed by Zoe Kennedy.

Good morning, Council President Tate, uh Pro Tim, Comunya, distinguished council.

Uh, my name is Demario Peoples, and I'm a community activist, also a member of the LIP organization under the leadership of Pastor Mo.

I'm here today to also show support for the Shot Spider Program, the violence prevention technology that's on the table today.

For many years, LIP has stood on saving and changing lives of the youth and the community and for the truth.

And this technology allows us the opportunity to do this.

The Living Peace Organization as stated before has supported this technology in the past, and we still stand in full support for the Shot Stopper being a shot spot.

Thank you again.

Thank you.

My apologies for the mispronunciation.

Next speaker, Pastor Mo, followed by Zoe Kennedy, followed by Alarico Welch.

Powerful body, uh Pastor President, uh Pro Tim.

Name is Pastor Murritel Hardwick.

Let me say this to you guys.

When you go to shoot somebody, you don't need to do it in the well-lit area.

You want somewhere dark and seedy and they fall somewhere where you can't be unseen.

When they land your shot, I'm gonna take us to the feed that cry and they land there on the whole ground, it's dark, and trying to breathe.

But three things to save them that is God, they will to live and the smart technology program that has pinpoint accuracy called Shot Spider.

Please vote for this, y'all.

We need it.

Next speaker is O Kennedy, followed by Rico Welch, followed by Quincy Smith.

Good morning, everyone.

My name is DeWanzo Kennedy, executive director of Force Detroit.

Uh, we're in support of shot spotter um contingent upon being able to use this technology in a community-led response, um, showing up, responding with brief support, restoration support, wraparound services, as well as enrollment and intake into our programs.

We have a comprehensive strategy that we would like to pilot with this technology, and we will be submitting that to uh uh the mayor's office as well.

So we are in support of it contingent upon a community response.

Thank you.

Speaker Wico Welch, followed by Quincy Smith, followed by Jim Ward.

How are you doing?

Because we only got 50 seconds.

But anyone, a rhetorical question, anyone here ever heard of the Amber Alert.

Anyone here ever heard of the Amber Alert?

That's an alert and it was named after someone.

It's just not a regular alert, it was alert to commemorate someone who could have been saved if that that system was in place.

We here today because we have a story in Detroit, Michigan that's not only resonating in Detroit or in the United States, it done actually left the shores of the United States.

This story is about Nazia Heroes.

This is a story that could have been prevented.

A story that we we try to pass a bill called the Nazia Hairs build and hold those who are accountable for those who have someone in their custody.

But I'm asking you all today.

Do we we need to commemorate her?

We need to memorize her, memorialize her.

And by doing that, it's the last day, June 30th.

It's the last day you can vote on putting a name in S tree before where she grew up at.

Thank you.

You know what I'm saying?

If y'all can do that for me, I appreciate it.

I'll be in touch with his next speaker.

Quincy Smith, followed by Jim Ward, followed by Celia Eckerson.

Good morning, Council members.

President Um here to speak on the shot stopper technology.

Um, so team pursuit.

We are very intentional about how we use that technology.

Um, in our partnership with the ninth precinct, Commander Savek sends us the shot spotter runs from the previous two weeks.

I give that information to our community wellness advocates, formerly our VI violence interrupters.

They use that data to go out and canvass the community.

When we look at that data, you may see shots that say a shot here, two here, three there, but then you have 37, 42, right?

50 shots in one location, one incident.

That means somebody's using a high powered rifle, a switch, and we know the demographic oftentimes who uses that, right?

Maybe uh a beef is going on, there's young people, so our team goes out and we mitigate potential beats.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Jim Ward, followed by Celia Eckerson, followed by Rue Rodriguez.

Morning, sir.

Good morning.

My name is Jim Ward.

I'm president of Meaning's World Community Radio Control.

It's good to see so many of you that we work with over the years to continue the safety of our city of Detroit.

I only have one question.

What is your life worth in terms of dollars?

What is it worth?

Sharp spotter saves liars.

Next speaker, Celia Eckerson, followed by Rue Rodriguez, followed by Jacob Smith.

May I speak?

Hello, my name is Celia Erickson, and I'm a proud member of Detroit Community Action Committee.

I'm here with my fellow members of GCAC to once again demand that the Detroit City Council adopt our sanctuary city ordinance.

Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago Romero tries to claim that having a sanctuary city is nothing more than a title.

Yet we'll praise Philadelphia for passing sanctuary city policies, policies that are very similar to the ones we call for in our ordinance.

She even wrote on her Instagram story that it's quote not that hard for Detroit to do the same.

So what's the holdup then?

If you write our ordinance, you know a sanctuary is not just a title, that it represents real policies that make it as difficult as possible for federal immigration agents to operate here.

It's deplorable that by not passing this ordinance, you are doing nothing to prevent ISIS continuous arrests and deportations.

There's one happening right now.

Shame on you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Rue Rodriguez, followed by Jacob Smith, followed by Miss Pinnell.

Hi, I'm Rue.

I'm here to urge City Council to vote no on renewing the shot spotter contract.

As shot spotter is just another tool that puts black and brown communities in danger with its faulty data by sending enforcements to the wrong locations and upending the lives of people who did nothing wrong but be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I'm also urging city council to pass sanctuary city policies.

While DPD has claimed for months that they don't work with ice, they are assisting right now at an IS stop in a house on Hazlitt and Milford just this morning.

It is your job as city council to allocate Detroit's hard-earned tax dollars to create a safer city for them and enacting sanctuary policies and choosing not to renew shot spotter would do just that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jacob Smith, followed by Miss Pennell, followed by David Greenwood.

Hello, my name is Jacob Smith.

I'm with the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

I am here today in order to ask City Council to not renew the shot spotter contract.

Shot Scott Shot Spotter is an expensive surveillance technology that does not work.

According to data obtained by the publication machine advance, uh uh for 2024 and 2025.

Uh only 12% of shot spotter incidents resulted in cases being picked up.

Only two percent resulted in witnesses being identified, and fewer than one percent result resulted in uh ambulances actually helping people, first responder services.

Uh, in addition, uh the average response time for a uh gunshot call for 911 is 12 minutes.

The average response time for shot spotter is 39.

Other cities have proven this doesn't work.

Please vote no ones.

Thank you.

Good morning.

I represent second precinct, Detroit Police Citizen Academy, uh Detroit 300.

You want me to go home?

No.

I'm I'm supportive of the shot spotter because two years ago, dog got killed on my street.

Police came to my house.

That's why I support it.

But what I really need to talk to you about is the city messing up my garage door.

They dug up dug the hole without going to Miss Diggs, and it blew my my uh garage door opener and my furnace.

And I'm upset because I had to pay out 700.

What district do you live in, ma'am?

Partly.

What district city council district do you live in?

Okay, someone will be uh someone will be coming up to our best to address his concern.

Our next speaker, David Greenwood, followed by Beatrice Rodriguez, followed by Joe Pico.

Good morning, City Council.

David Greenwood, Detroit PAL.

I'm here uh to rise in support of uh shot spotter technology.

Shot spotter technology has been working, deploying the DPD officers to respond faster than our traditional 911 system in many cases.

This improves public safety for everyone across the city.

As a retired emergency first responder, myself, response times are of the essence, and shot spotter is yet another tool in the toolbox that helps identify and improve emergency response times.

Let's continue to invest and improve on our public safety systems here in the city of Detroit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Beatrice Rodriguez, followed by Joe Pico, followed by Don Johnson.

Good morning, Council and the Detroit Police Department.

I see back there with Jam with the Fourth Precinct and my District Six.

Council Gabriela, I'm um hoping that you guys renew this spot shotter.

I think it would help get illegal guns off the street, and these illegal people that are doing all this shooting, they're the ones that need to go to jail and help.

As you remember, not too long ago, the seven-year-old chow that was found because of spot chowder.

He survived.

And so that's why I think we need to renew this.

And also on August 4th, I'm a transit um person nickels on the bus.

Please vote yes for that.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Joe Pico, followed by Donald Johnson, followed by Joel Patterman.

Hi, hi there.

I'm Joe.

I'm with the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

I'm here today to ask that City Council does not renew the shot spotter contract.

Shot spotter isn't worth two million dollars.

Um, and it isn't actually very effective at leading to faster response times, ensuring life-saving aids delivered to people that are you know unfortunate victims of gun violence, and in actually resulting in arrests.

Um, as uh Jacob Smith earlier talked about.

You know, this is a time where we have schools closing down, we have teens asking for us for them uh to give them stuff to do this summer, and CVIs are looking to secure long-term funding.

So why should we spend two million two million dollars on a piece of technology that doesn't actually give us real returns on its investment?

I think we all want safer communities.

We want our children to grow up, we want them to go to good schools, we want them to stay out of trouble.

People want to say shot spotter helps make this possible, but it does the opposite.

Shot spotter admits it targets black and brown neighborhoods, which only leads to over policing and increased surveillance, not a decrease in crime.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Johnson, followed by Joe Batterman, followed by Joe Corn.

Good morning, honorable council members.

My name is Don Johnson.

I'm president of the 12th precinct community relations for over 30 years.

Um, I just wanted to say thank you for the Below presentation.

That was good to hear.

But also, I want to uh throw my support in shot spotter because it does help improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit.

I'm all about the quality of life in the city of Detroit.

Do what it takes to save one life because one life is worth a lot more than two million dollars.

Next speaker, Joe Batterman, followed by Joe Conan, followed by Isa Krauss.

Good morning.

Joel Batterman, District 5 resident and campaigns manager for Transportation Riders United.

True.

Happy to report that my Lynwood bus showed up on time today.

I want to urge the council to support the resolution in favor of the Wayne County transit millage that will appear on the August ballot.

Uh ballot that's already hitting mailboxes around the city and county.

This is a uh investment in better transit for Detroiters and for all of Wayne County.

It would expand DDOT service within the city and finally expand smart service into suburbs like Lavonia and Canton, allowing Detroiters to access jobs and opportunity in those areas that have lacked transit service for so long.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Joe Coy, followed by Isa Krauss, followed by Daniel Weber Alatori.

Good morning.

Uh my name is Joe Coin.

I'm here alongside uh Detroit Community Action Committee.

Two months ago, our city's police oversight board was stripped of its direct access to officer body cam footage and investigative reports by the FBI.

Now the board has to wait for evidence that can be redacted by the very department who was made to investigate.

This is alarming due to the fact our city council has yet to grow a spine, continuing to bulk at taking a stand against our federal government and its racist unconstitutional policies and practices by failing to use our 10th amendment rights as a state to adopt sanctuary city policies like we have seen other leaders adopt in cities like Chicago and Philadelphia.

Today we are facing a vote to spend an additional two million dollars on shot spotter, further increasing the surveillance capabilities of a largely unaccountable police department, bringing our total investment to nine million dollars since 2020.

Our communities deserve a city council that will fight for its people and not for surveillance contracts.

We have families being ripped apart and Detroit residents, Detroit students being kidnapped by ICE.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Isaac Krauss, followed by Daniel Weber, Ar Latori, followed by Josh May.

Hello, my name is Issa Krause.

I am with the Detroit Community Action Committee, urging Detroit to be declared a sanctuary city.

As a concerned citizen, I am very disappointed in the uh Detroit's considerable lack of actions and the questionable choices when they are made.

Detroit has long been a city of diversity and of immigrant communities who have helped build its foundations.

We have a responsibility to continue the legacy of ensuring our undocumented neighbors are protected, not prosecuted.

We have seen that how ICE has terrorized our immigrant communities and also all of us.

Shot spotter is just one of the newer tools that could be used to attack our communities.

Shot spotter monitors uh neighborhoods that are 70% Latino in black.

This is a targeted effort funded by over $2 million taken out of the pockets of Detroiters.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Daniel Rebo, auditorium, followed by Josh Man, followed by Gabby Dressner, excuse me.

My name is Daniel.

I'm a proud Detroit City resident, EMT, and member of DCAC.

I come here today to speak out for our neighbors and against renewing the shot spotter contract.

Shot spotter has proven time and time again to be ineffective, and the city has already lost a lawsuit for violating protocol by implementing the surveillance tech.

Across the country, we are seeing countless errors and misuses by police departments for personal use.

Are we supposed to believe that DPD is any different?

Trust them after they claim to not assist ice race, despite actively doing that this morning in Hazlitt and Milford.

Detroit needs real protections if we want to thrive.

That's why we at DCAC have been fighting for a sanctuary city so that our immigrant neighbors don't have to fear ice kidnapping them with DPD and shot spotters being their eyes and backing.

This technology does not protect our communities, it only surveils them.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Josh Mann, followed by Gabby Dressner, followed by James Fields.

I challenge any of the groups in here that are saying shot spotter works to provide me some data.

Team Blue had a lot of uh convincing arguments that were lacking data.

In 24 to 25, 24,225 calls, alerts to shot spotter.

12% led to a recovered shell casing, 2% led to a witness, and under 1% led to a victim uh by a first responder.

We need more first responders, less technology.

We need more mentorship groups, we need more groups like Blue, like New Era Detroit, like Detroit 300 to inspire the youth to stay out of trouble, not more technology to build our prisons.

Next speaker, Debbie Dressner, followed by Graham Spiel, followed by Gwendolyn Downs.

Good morning, Council President Tate and Council members.

Thank you for hearing my comments this morning.

My name is Gabrielle Dresner.

I'm a policy strategist with the ACLU of Michigan, and I am here to speak out against the use of shot spotter.

We have long spoken out against the use of this technology.

In fact, I sat before this committee nearly four years ago, giving roughly the same testimony.

Shot spotter disproportionately impacts communities of color.

You've already heard this.

What we haven't really talked about is that when this technology is inaccurately sending police into communities, they are sending them believing that there is the potential for a person with a firearm, that there is a potential for deadly force to be used.

Um this cycle creates a misleading justification for over policing communities of color.

A study out of Chicago showed that 86% of shot spotter reports led to no crime at all, amassing approximately 40,000 dead-end deployments.

We urge you to vote no on the contract.

Thank you.

The next speaker, James Steele, followed by Gwendolyn Jones, followed by Stephen Henshi.

My name is James Fields.

I'm a member of the Burke Lawson Community Association.

I'm in favor of the spot shooters uh electronic surveillance as it is being called, by different names, of course.

But the meaning of it being to take care of our future.

What's now is now, but our future is still far more important to look at whatever we can do to keep the city as safe as we possibly can.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Gwendolyn Jones, followed by Stephen Hanshoe, followed by Susan Stocker.

Good morning, distinguished counsel and to my great um Councilman Denzel McCampbell.

Um, I'm here to support the uh shot spotter.

Um, the crime in Detroit has gone down.

And and the police have been reporting on that before Trump.

Okay.

Now it started in 2022.

Okay, and it was like seven million dollars for it.

The Detroit police want to extend it until 2027.

Um next year in March, for just two million.

Okay, and if crime is going down, and the police feels that this is what they need, that it is helping the city of Detroit, and I believe it is.

Thank you, sir.

And let's do it.

Thank you.

Stephen Henshu, followed by Susan Steigerwald, followed by Mr.

Duncil.

So Lutz.

Good morning, honorable council members, and particularly brothers and sisters in the audience.

I'm here today to speak about my personal opposition to Shot Spotter.

I'm also here representing the Detroit Advocates of the Blind in our absolute support of the Wayne County Transportation Millage.

Shot spotter doesn't work.

It's a cruel hoax.

Everyone in this room wants to stop gun violence, death, murder, and mayhem on the streets of Detroit.

This is a sad lie that shot spotter does anything to achieve those ends.

We need human policing, not algorithms.

I don't want to be facing a robot policeman.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Susan Fagamar, followed by Mr.

Dunstan, followed by Sandra Turner Handy.

Morning.

Good morning, Council President Tate, Council and Brothers and Sisters.

And also a member of Detroit DSA.

I want to stop ShotSpotter because it's an unregulated race-based audio surveillance.

It can actually hear conversations.

So there's a potential again for uh for uh us being surveilled.

Um there's also a high positive uh rate of false uh alarms that send police into neighborhoods, uh anticipating trouble.

Uh and sometimes that causes problems as well.

Um, there is no proven crime reduction.

It also uses artificial intelligence, which we know makes mistakes.

It will also cost the city an additional two million dollars over the next nine months.

Stop shop spotter.

Thank you.

Standard Turner Handy, excuse me, uh followed by Jane.

Good morning, honorable body.

My name is Elbert Dunsen.

I'm a member of Bird Glass Association and the Burr Glass Radio Patrol.

I fully support shot spotters, and I fully oppose in housing on the Rogel Golf Course.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Santa Turner Handy, followed by Jane Brant, followed by Jackson Robot.

Good morning, Sandra Turner Handy.

I'm the president of the ninth precinct community relations council and executive director of the Denby Neighborhood Alliance.

Along with shot spotters, along with our residents' eyes and ears, and along with our community violence and adventure team.

Our crime has gone down in our community.

I'm 70 years old.

I can't keep hitting the floor every time I hear gunshots.

Now shot spotters.

Three minutes.

They are there.

I've been it.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Jane Grant, followed by Jackson Robot, followed by sell the Kara Reyes.

Good morning, Council.

My name is Jane Grant, and I am a community um liaison for the ninth precinct.

I want to say I bear witness to the response time of the police for the spot.

Shot spiders.

Right next door was shooting.

And before I could turn around in my kitchen, the police was there.

So they cannot tell me it doesn't work.

The response time is not good.

That is not true.

And we can see that most of the people who are opposed don't live where we live.

So they don't care.

And they think it's no good.

So if you live in my neighborhood, and no, I can't move.

If I wanted to move, I don't because I love Detroit and I'm gonna stay here.

So I love where I live and I want to see safe where I live.

Thank you, City Council.

I'm Jackson.

I'm a member of Detroit Community Action Committee in Detroit.

Uh city resident uh in Southwest Detroit.

Uh and I just want to say, you know, one, we do not need another two million dollar program for the police as they lie.

Right now, we're seeing a deportation happen in Detroit on Hazel and uh Milford, where DPD is on site harassing me garagers.

This is coming from the community who are there trying to stop this deportation and keep our community safe.

That DPD is helping us, so they lie about not cooperating.

So why are we gonna give them another two million dollars?

That's another thing of people's anecdotes of saying it works.

We have statistics.

I'm happy for you that it's worked for you, but statistically, statistically, I don't care about whatever correlations we can put on the graph.

It does not work.

It does not work.

One percent of the time they find a victim.

They barely ever find a case.

It does not work.

I don't care about your sob stories.

Let's look at the data.

Followed by Eden Bloom, followed by Alvin Stokes.

Good morning, City Council.

My name is Giselle De Serra Reyes.

Uh uh, and I'm a resident of Southwest Detroit.

I'm here as part of Detroit Community Action Committee to urge you to say no to shot spotter.

Shot spotter doesn't stop violence, and it doesn't stop you from being shot.

It is a flawed and reactionary tool that costs millions of our city dollars that then go into the pockets of billionaire tax CEOs.

It doesn't even work.

In Chicago, the MacArthur Justice Center found that police responses to 88% of shot sparter alerts found no incident involving a gun at all.

So nine times out of ten, this million-dollar technology is wrong and sends aggressive police force to already over police black and brown neighborhoods.

Our police chief praise shot spider for being for leading to more gun-related arrests.

As a Detroit resident and public defender, city council.

Is that how we measure success for our city by the number of arrests of our community members?

Thank you, ma'am.

No successful to me looks like investing those millions into real community police.

Thank you.

Followed by Alvin Stokes, followed by Paul Chenel.

Floor is yours.

I live on Cadillac, less than a mile from 663 Lightcast and D4, where a Vitas burned a year ago today.

Briefly, I want to object to shock spotter renewal and suggest that those funds be shifted to air monitors that surveil serial polluters that harm our children and elders.

On October 28th, 2025, this body voted unanimously on a resolution finding that a Vetus, a waste oil recycling facility, had 18 citations, seven active violations, 64 state air campaign investigations, documenting persistent orders, causing unreasonable interference with the health of our neighborhoods.

Damax Holding is now seeking out of city approval to rebuild and expand a facility that operated without proper permits for over a decade and burned under still undesirable circumstances.

I'm asking you to follow up.

Thank you from last year.

Thank you so much.

Before we go forward, uh Mr.

Smith, Mr.

Smith, Mr.

Smith, Mr.

Smith, Mr.

Smith, Mr.

Smith.

All right, so executive protection.

I'm asking, so I'm asking you to remove your seat.

Go back to where you were.

You're agitating at this moment.

They were sitting down here minding our own business.

Disagree all you want.

Don't come and agitate.

Mr.

Alvin Stokes, the floor is yours.

That's all right.

He'll leave.

Good morning to this council.

My name is Alvin Stokes.

I am the president of the 10th Precinct Community Relations and also Citywide.

I'm here in favor of Shot Spider.

We have gone from the murder capital of the world to people calling us, finding out what did we done to lower our crime rate.

And shock spider plays a very important role in lowering our crime rate.

With the help of DPD, the community and all, we have come a long way.

And for those of you who think shot spotter don't work, ask that nine-year-old boy to say it's like thank you.

Followed by Char Williams, followed by Arthur Edge.

Paul Schnauze.

Hi, good morning, Council.

Morning, everyone.

Uh who can hear my voice?

My name is Paul Chennault.

I'm a member of uh, excuse me, I'm a resident of District Six.

I'm also the president of my block club.

I'm also the president of my community.

My block club is neighbors from Lindsville.

My community is Midwest Hirman.

Um I'm here today to support Shot Spotters.

Uh I think it's doing a pretty good job so far.

Um I don't want to divulge any of that.

I want to use my time a little bit wise.

Um, I'm also here today to uh ask my council members for help in my community.

Uh pro uh uh member Tate, President Tate, you know, you've got a shirt that says protect your crown.

Well, my residents need uh help protecting our our community, our kingdom.

Um we're being overthrown by people who don't have the best interests at heart and are taking vulnerable people and disinvested neighborhoods training for their own good.

Thank you.

Have a great day.

Next speaker is Carl Williams, followed by Arthur Edge, followed by Tony Hatai.

Hello through the chair.

Um my issue is concerning you all taking footage away from OCI.

How can they investigate anything that's that goes on with the Detroit Police Department?

Period.

They don't even they can't even look at the footage.

Now at the end of the day, I've been I've been complaining about illegal citizens on the Detroit police department, non-American citizens, and ex offenders under Detroit Police Department.

But when citizens have a complaint and they cannot get the footage, it's an issue.

Because you talk about integrity, transparency, and all of accountability, but how can they do their job?

That's not acceptable.

But I got a whole lot to say, and I'll be back next week.

The next speaker, Arthur Edge, followed by Tony Katay, followed by Victoria Camille.

Good morning.

Good morning, honorable body.

My name is Arthur Edge, president of Far West Detroit Civics Association, and also president of Detroit 300 2.0.

I am here today in support of shot stoppers.

Um is very important.

I talk with a lot of law enforcement and how this tool helps them.

And I agree with another gentleman that stands up, stood up here.

It's about the quality of the life.

And if it saves one life, is it worth two million dollars?

Yes.

So if it saves one or more, I'm in favor of it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Tony Kate, followed by Victoria Camille.

Morning, council.

Uh I think there's a larger problem than just shot spotter.

It's the AI data centers, the flock cameras.

You see, you see, in other cities, they're getting they're getting rid of it right now.

Chicago shot spotters gone.

Um flock, Cleveland, just the other day.

People don't want this AI stuff spying on them, looking at them, surveilling them, listening in.

It's it's not right.

And my kids got to grow up in that world.

So you know, you know, it people need to speak up and become educated on all this stuff and draw the line at some point and uh protect ourselves for the future.

And uh say no on uh shot spotter.

Thank you.

Next speaker of uh commissioner Victoria Camille.

Greetings, honorable council.

My name is Victoria Camille, District 7, and I do live in a community that has experienced gun violence.

We all want our communities to be safe, even if we have different ideas on how to get there, and it breaks all of our hearts over and over again when our community members are shot by each other, shot by police, and when our babies get locked up for making the wrong choices.

I'm asking you to put funds into ways to prevent shots from happening in the first place, more MPOs available availability, officers walking the beat, and sufficient special attention, more CBI, accessibility to de-escalation training for all Detroiters and restorative justice programs.

Yes, there are investments to be made, but they are in people and relationships, not inexpensive algorithms.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Shelby Murphy, followed by Teron Hayes, followed by Megan Owens.

Hi, good morning.

Thank you for your time and attention today.

I believe through massive amounts of compounded and induced trauma resulting from COVID, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the Epstein files, the war in Iran, ICE, ICE detention centers, and many more worldwide atrocities and the constant and relentless psyops, the current powers that we have and are taking full advantage of what can only be the intentional exhaustion of we the people's free will to stand up to the ushering in of even more oppressive and invasive surveillance proposing to spend millions on drones, flat cameras, and the eventual killer of clean water data centers for profit and control with ties to big pharma and insurance companies that perpetuate and the make them sick to make them better con.

Please reject the drones.

Please reject the flat cameras.

Council President May I'll be heard.

Yes, sir.

Good morning, City Council, all the community residents.

It's amazing to see everyone out to support their causes.

I am here to ask City Council to reject shot spotter.

And I won't belabor you all to with more facts and more statistics than you probably will would have before me and after me.

But I will ask you guys the question, which is what do you want to do about crime?

Not just gun violence, but crime.

If you want to solve crime, there are comprehensive strategies that you can take that we can take, which includes giving money, giving resources, giving funds to kids for programs, elders for food, all types of things that we can do.

But SHOSPORTE is way too ineffective for us to continue.

I love these anecdotal stories, but they don't produce data, and the data says that shot spotter is not working.

Please don't remember.

Thank you.

All right, so Mr.

Smith, I'm gonna give you one more opportunity.

And that will be it.

Well, I mean, if it doesn't matter, you can you can leave right now.

One more.

Next speaker, Megan Owens, followed by Nimfa Cancel, followed by Minnie Ramirez.

Uh good morning.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Uh I love seeing so many people out passionate about uh improving in their city and investing in people.

Uh in this case, I want to uh applaud you, uh, Council President Tate for putting forward the resolution to support uh uh Wayne Countywide public transit.

Uh and I know every council member knows how important it is that we have uh that we improve and expand transit, both improve the service here in the city as well as to expand uh transit so people can uh in uh throughout all of Wayne County so people can get to schools and to jobs and to doctors and everywhere they need to go.

So um I hope I can count on all of you to support this resolution.

Uh and I urge everyone to uh to support Wayne Countywide Transit on the August 4th ballot or uh in your absentee ballot.

Next speaker, Nimpha cancel, excuse me, followed by Minnie Ramirez, followed by Betty Lyons.

Good morning, city council members and president.

My name is Nefa Cancel.

I'm a lifelong resident, committee activists, various organizations.

I do believe in the sponsor, I believe that Detroit needs we are growing.

Crime is happening, and we need to step it up.

And that technology may not be for everyone, and everybody may not agree that it works, but we have community members and families that says it does work.

And we also need to understand that we need to help our police officers in any way that we can for them to make our city safe.

So I do and support it, and I just want to say thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Minnie Ramirez, followed by Betty Lyons, followed by Miss Davis.

Thank you through the chair, honorable body.

My name is Minnie Ramirez.

I am the president of Fourth Precinct Community Relations, and we are definitely in support of the uh shot spotter.

Um, also I also wanted to mention that it's also great to keep in mind that the safety of the officers when they they are able to approach the particular area, and so they can go approach it safely.

The other thing is I've had two, I do also the victim advocate housed inside the free sink, and it has helped two of my domestic violence individuals when they were not able to call 911, but that spot shot was the one that brought them into that particular area.

And also as captains, you know, you know, sometimes we're the ones of our block club.

We're the ones that have to tell people where the shots are, but you can bring more of those.

You bring them all in my area because we definitely next speaker, Betty Lyons, followed by Miss Davis, followed by Maurice Weeks.

All these black folks in here, and these four white women keep coming up in here about Bellau.

Get some black folks up in there, and those trees probably wouldn't be in that lagoon because I remember seeing people in the boats.

So come on, get it right.

That sanctuary city, no, take it out to Bloomfield Hills and the white folks.

The ice, yeah, bring them and take those dogs.

They have more rights than I do.

That is not right.

I want my over 600 million dollars owed to Detroit residents.

I want it and I want it in cash.

You stole it from our property tax.

I want our 600 million dollars.

Next speaker, Miss Davis, followed by Maurice Weeks, followed by Stephen Grady.

All right, good morning, council members.

Good morning, uh residents.

I'm a resident of Detroit, and I'm advocating not to renew shot spotter, please.

I firmly believe AI surveillance does not make us safe.

Detroiters and human relationships do.

Shot spotter is proven to be ineffective.

That data and facts are very important.

Um, let's not trump this situation.

15 cities have canceled, it targets black and brown communities, it violates privacy, and the sensors are unknown where where they're located.

So these funds should be allocated to human-centered community safety infrastructure like de-escalation, like conflict resolution.

I had a pleasure of curating a strong community safety in Detroit.

Detroit is the pioneer of community safety.

How about that?

In the 80s, before we had that surveillance, we were decreasing crime through human-centered tactics on the street.

So let's repeat that.

Do not revert.

Next speaker, Maurice Weeks, followed by Stephen Grady, followed by Alejandro Neverett.

Stephen Weeks still here.

All right.

Uh Mr.

Stephen Grady, come on down.

Good morning, Council.

You all know me.

You know how hard I work in this city every day, every day.

First of all, I want to say I appreciate the work that you all do.

A lot of people don't realize how difficult it is to sit in these seats and make the decisions that benefit this city.

So I want to thank you for everything you do.

You know why I'm here today.

I'm here today to support shot spotter.

You heard people flub the name and everything like that, but you know why we're here, right?

Right.

Here's the thing.

If you hire a carpenter, you say, I want you to build a deck on my house.

Carpenter comes to your house, he didn't bring his hammer.

I don't care how strong he is, he can hit that nail as much as he wants.

It's not gonna go in until he has his hammer.

Give the police give the city a hammer for crime.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, Alejandro Navaret, followed by Rodney Sizemore, followed by Adrian Times.

All right, good morning.

Uh I just wanted to remind everybody here in this room that there actually would have been no funding for CBI work, specifically shot stoppers, had it not been for the opposition to shot spotter uh last time.

Uh, when there was an up to uptick in shootings and domestic violence, the city ran to surveillance and policing and not to intervention.

It was when community advocates, like the people here uh asked for CBI that we got uh CBI instead of shot spotter that we got the funding for uh CBI work now that now we're seeing the CVI funding is being cut, it was not included in this year's budget, and we're hearing people say that life is invaluable.

If that really isn't valuable, then let's focus the money on preventing the shot from being fired in the first place instead of point focusing on trying to catch the shooter.

Thank you.

You next speaker, Rod Sizemore, followed by Adrian Tines, followed by Matthew Wilk.

Honorable city council, council president, appreciate your time today.

Won't be brief.

Shot spotter saves lives.

Shot spotter provides immediate response, even when the police ain't called.

We walk past car alarms, we don't pay attention.

We're immune to gunshots as well.

People do not call the police.

Shot spotter immediately for my officers that go out, they respond because they're dispatched immediately to these uh uh to these runs.

For those that say it's not a benefit, well, we work in conjunction with the CBI groups or whatever.

So if we're bringing 24,000 runs or whatever, and what y'all are saying, our crime stats that just brought 24,000 police officers to your communities.

How do I know communities are getting safe?

Because people that don't look that don't look like me are moving into the communities right now.

That's how I tell that our communities.

I'm shocked.

I used to be thank you so much.

I'll rest.

Thank you.

The next speaker, Adrian Times, followed by Matthew Wilkes, followed by see uh good morning, everyone.

I'm here to bring out that we're still dealing with major issues at the apartment building that we're king closed.

We're still with major issues at the building that I live in, and uh lot of seniors in the building that getting bit up by bed bugs.

The owner has an attitude of so what?

So we need someone to get on top of him to address these issues.

Mary Sheffield has told me last year when she was in uh the council that she's aware of what's going on.

So either we need to get her involved with what's going on with this landlord because he does what he wants, and people are getting sicker every day here.

Ms.

Tinesworth, do you know what district you're in?

Do you know what district you're you're district six?

Okay, we'll have somebody come and uh provide you with some type of input.

I think I thought members of the city council, thank you very much for having me.

I wanted to uh address the transit millage that we on the ballot on August 4th.

It's a 570 million dollar new tax.

I wanted to bring three things to the attention of Detroiters and Detroiters alone.

First of all, uh, in between 1994 and 2004, this body had the opportunity at any time it wanted to opt into smart.

They chose not to for very good reasons.

Probably one of them is that the D dot is more efficient and more effective than SMART.

It puts about twice as many people on the bus and runs for about a third of a less cost.

This represents a unique double tax for Detroiters.

Uh, they'll be the only ones paying the tax.

And more most importantly, I filed a FOIA to determine whether there was in fact an arrangement for SMART to pay D dot.

It came back that there was no deal.

This isn't we I urge a no vote, not because this is about transit because Detroit should make big decisions for Detroit.

Thank you.

Speaker, and I do apologize.

Represent uh grassy family uh sale college park neighborhood on East Side Detroit.

Vote no on shot spotter, all surveillance technology.

Shame on all these organizations that are paid by the city of Detroit.

Listen, I represent the city of Detroit as well.

I'm not funded.

The majority of the people who are not funded are not here in the city of Detroit.

And we do not want to be surveilled.

We're doing the work of our former slave owners who surveilled us.

The police department has a budget of a half billion dollars.

We do not feel safer just 10 12 years ago, it's 40 million dollars.

It's a half billion dollars, and we gotta do better.

I'm Richard Clay.

I want to say uh all of Detroit vote yes on the transportation millage and city council vote no on shot spotter.

They are opposing everywhere with shot spotter is the citizenry is trying to shut it down right now.

Today, shot spotter.

They should be open, no surveilling us, facial resignation, technology, flock camera, shot spotter, all this stuff.

No citizen who's not getting paid by the police, the head to hair with the police.

See, I'm here one of an oil zoom.

After the citizens said, no, shot spotter.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Lisa Pelaski, followed by Josh Smith, followed by Willie Burton.

Okay, good afternoon.

Thank you, honorable city council.

I'm a mother, I'm a survivor.

I couldn't save my son, but I'm gonna fight and support everything that can.

And shot spotters is one of the tools of technology that works in real time, real lives, real faces.

I'm not about numbers and statistics.

I'm about people and saving our babies' lives.

If this can help, one life is all that it takes, and all that matters to a mother that's losing a child.

Please support advocate and fund shot stoppers.

Next speaker of John, followed by Willie Burton, followed by Teresa Johnson.

So I stand here representing an organization called Mothers Keeping Boose in the ground that is founded by multiple mothers who have lost children in gun violence.

Um and Hayden Davis is one of the mother's daughters who was murdered on the west side of Detroit, and her case is still unsolved.

Yet her mother fights for other victims of uh gun violence in the city of Detroit, and she can't get the assistance from all of these police officers who we have here.

We should take that two million dollars and hire multiple detectives.

I don't know if anybody in the room could answer the question of how many homicide detectives is the city of Detroit have how many open homicide cases C Detroit have, and we're trying to give money to shot spotter that does not do anything.

So out of the year 2025, only 11 times or 10 times did a person uh get help from shot spotter from police from a police call through shot spotter where there was not accompanied by a uh phone call.

So it's 31 blips from Shot Spotter, 21 times they were assisted by a phone by a phone call.

Look at the numbers, the math is not math.

Next speaker, Willie Burton, followed by Teresa Johnson, followed by Carmen Edward.

Hello, honorable uh city council and community and members of the department.

Uh um with a two million dollar expansion of uh shot spotter.

Uh uh, what type of uh return on investment is the city is trying to make uh uh first of all, and secondly, we have CBI groups here.

Uh we can I could find a dozen things that we can reinvest that money in, like CBI, uh put money behind our officers, uh, mental health.

Right now, we you know the departments desperately could use probably uh up to uh um social workers per precent, especially in downtown services, number seven, number three, and also number eleven.

Um we need to have social workers going out on mental health and domestic violence runs to give our officers the support that they're next speaker Teresa Johnson, followed by Carmen Edgar, followed by Fisha Brooks.

Good morning.

My name is Teresa Johnson.

Good morning, council.

I'm just here today to introduce my new company is MTC.

I'm not too short.

Oh okay.

UTC, I'm a construction and development company, minority-based company.

I just wanted to come today to show support and get you guys to introduce you to myself and show that I want to support the city of Detroit, and um new things are coming.

So I just wanted to introduce myself.

MTC construction and development, women minority company.

Welcome, welcome.

Our next speaker, Carmen Edgar, followed by Lakeisha Brooks, followed by Kimberly Brooks.

Good morning, council member President Tate, Council members and the public.

Um, my name is Carmen Ecker.

I am a Detroit native and D1 resident.

Um, I am the co-founder of MTC construction and development along with Teresa Johnson, um, a minority-owned construction and development company.

I'm here today to introduce our company and express our commitment to supporting the continued growth and revitalization of revitalization of our city.

As Detroit continues to invest in infrastructure, neighborhoods, commercial quarters, and economic development.

We hope to be a part of that progress.

Although we are a growing company, our team works alongside experienced construction professionals and strategic partners who are successfully delivered public and private projects throughout Southeast Michigan.

We are committed to operating with integrity, accountability, and transparency while helping deliver projects that you so much.

Thank you.

Someone from my team will be in touch with you.

Next speaker, Lakeisha Brooks, followed by Kimberly Brooks, and our last in-person speaker is Giselle Porter.

Good morning, counsel.

I'm Lakeisha Brooks, and I support it.

Simply because my son, the seven-year-old that just got shot, it saved his life.

Unfortunately, my nephew was killed.

But if it wasn't for the shot spotter, my seven year old son would be dead.

So I support it.

Because it's gonna save a lot of children.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I am good morning.

Good morning.

I am the auntie of the seven-year-old.

That the shot spotter has saved.

My nephew is alive because of shot spotter.

My sister can see her son because of shot spotter.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jack.

My nephew, thanks you.

Support shot.

It saved his life.

Final speaker in person will be Giselle Porter.

Hello.

People from surveillance.

Crime is not going down because people are leaving Detra.

Not surveillance.

Shot spotter does not prevent gun violence.

To be clear, people are still being shot.

We should be supporting community organizations.

To prevent crime.

That's we we know that from data that that actually prevents crime, that actually prevents our people from being shot down in the streets.

That's where that two million dollars should be going to.

Maybe DPD readers leaders are too prideful or gullible to admit it, but it's time to put our big feelings aside and be reasonable here.

Unfortunately, DPD's new toy doesn't work as intended.

I have a toilet, so I know the game.

Vote no for shop fire.

Thank you.

Who's our first caller?

No, we have 56.

We have we have 40 callers online now, sir.

With our first caller being calling user in the end 299.

You have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Yes, I'm here.

Good morning to the city of Detroit and to Detroit City Council.

Let's just take a look.

My name is Joyce Moore with the Vinny Park Community Coalition within the boundaries of the Disney Park community.

Earlier this year, all of you in regard to the Hermickeeper project, as we as a community were to sit at the table to have an impact on the future of our community, not after.

When a community survey was circulated by Let's Jackson, somebody had to make a decision for that to happen.

The survey was generic and it did not address the detailed issues.

We have a denying 44 houses based upon extensions of the Ronnie Castellano contract.

First rights to recuse for people who maintain the popular name change to remove the history and legacy of the black community.

And I and others need to know what's going on.

In terms of chest father, walk the beat, baby.

Walk the beat like we used to.

And we're AI is not the key to the solution.

Visibility is I yield my time.

Thank you.

Next caller is gonna be Betty A.

Varner.

Ms.

Verner, are you there?

Ms.

Vernon at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Yes, sir.

Next up is Crant Stanley, Gina Brown Anderson.

Caller, the floor is yours.

We have two minutes.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Good morning.

My name is Gina Brown Anderson.

I reside in 48234 Zip Code District 3.

I do not support spending any more of our tax ping dollars on shot spotter.

Whether it works or not, find another way to fund it.

These funds can be spent more productively to promote positive activity in other areas.

We spend more than 10 million dollars combined with CBI groups and shot spotters.

Do we ask the CBI groups?

Are they going to take a cut?

Shot spotter is the aftermath component.

We need a preventative component.

I come before this body specifically, Scott Benson, Mary Waters, and Clomay Young Jr.

You all need to get in your vehicles and ride District 3 from Woodwick to Kelly from East Eight Mile to Six Mile and tell the residents why it is in this condition.

Priority waste must be sent a memorandum to for the record.

Who's next in the queue?

Our next caller is George Purdue.

All right.

50 seconds.

Okay, thank you.

All this is George Purdue from Schoolcraft Improvement Association calling.

And I just want to say thank you to the council and the um the committee that approved the uh down zoning for our uh neighborhood last uh last week.

So uh we're thankful for that.

And I also want to say that um personally I support uh shot spotter uh since having shot spotter in our neighborhood, uh it doesn't sound like a war zone anymore.

So I uh wholeheartedly personally say shot spotter approve it.

Thank you.

All right, all right, thank you, sir.

Who we have next to the queue?

Uh next caller is Jacqueline Robinson.

All right, all right.

50 seconds, the floor is yours.

Go ahead.

Uh good morning, my honorable body.

My name is Jacqueline Robinson Robinson.

I'm here on behalf of the People's Action and support of the shot spotter technology.

Um, every day I work in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence, and too often the conversation about this technology is shaped by people who don't live in the communities experiencing the highest rate of shootings.

While there are differing opinions within every community, many residents, survivors, and community violence intervention organizations working in these neighborhoods support having every available tool to help save lives.

Um, this is not about choosing technology over people.

We are partnering technology with community-centered person-centered violence intervention, gunshot detection can help identify where violence is occurring in real time while credible messengers, outreach workers, victim advocates, and other community partners respond to support victims and families, prevent retaliation and focus prevention efforts.

Where the all right, thank you for that.

We appreciate that.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Max callers owner Papa.

All right, 50 seconds.

The floor is yours.

All right, all right, go.

Good morning through the chair, Mabby Heard.

Yes, yes, ma'am.

Uh it's a shame you give people 50 seconds.

This is so disrespectful to have people travel all the way down there, pay for parking that you guys should be validating for the people who come down there.

Uh, but you don't, but you pay for uh your cars being uh washed and gassed up, but uh you can't pay for validating parking.

Uh 18 8.1 is a sweet deal for for Munaz.

Uh 19.17 and dot 18.

Um, uh this is a land transfers, particular, particularly in in District 7.

I'm not sure what this is all about, but it sounds nefarious to me.

20.3 uh uh.4 are using um our dollars to do commercial business buildings 20.9 no on the shot spotter.

You could use that money for 2.6, which 21.6, which is two uh uh all right.

Thank you for that.

Who we have next to the queue?

Our next caller is Shay Howell.

All right, 50 seconds.

Floor is yours.

Thank you.

I am a longtime resident of more than 50 years of district two.

I have seen what happens in our communities over those decades, and I am completely opposed to shot spotter.

I think people are being bamboozled by information from companies that are benefiting by pushing high-tech solutions that only increase surveillance on our community.

We are spending over 32 million dollars in that so-called toolbox in which shot spotter sits.

I suggest the city council put a moratorium on any more funding for any technology until we have an independent research investigation of whether or not it's worth that kind of money.

I suspect it isn't.

All right, thank you.

Next caller is Zoom user.

All right, all right, Zoom user.

Floor is yours.

50 seconds zoom user going once.

Zoom user going twice.

Hello.

Hey, Zoom user 50 seconds.

Okay, I'm calling in about the shot spotter.

Uh, I got mixed reviews on the shot spotter, but what I'm calling in about is uh we need to stop all this shooting in the first place.

That's really the main concern.

And also with that millage for the bus transit.

We don't need any extra milletes to our already over millage rates being charged currently.

We over a hundred meals, and that's over the limit already.

So you guys should find that money for transit somewhere else.

And also the transit should also the transit should automatically be able to come to Detroit or wherever it needs to go without costing us money, us taxpayers.

Because a lot of these people don't even own property.

All right, thank you for that.

Who do we have next to the queue?

Caller in the 169 is next up.

All right, 50 seconds, 169.

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Go ahead, sir.

Um, yes, I just like to say improve access to jobs and increase transit equity.

Thank you for my time.

All right.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Next caller is going to be one, two, four, four.

All right, one, two, four, four.

The floor is yours.

50 seconds.

Yes.

Another maybe here.

I would like to uh find out what is going to happen with the Martin Luther King Memorial Park.

Will it be renovated sometime this year, which was promised?

Uh, and also I am four shots fired.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Next up is gonna be Karen Hammer.

Okay, Miss Hammer, floor is yours.

50 seconds, Miss Hammer.

Ms.

Hammer.

Miss Hammer going once.

Miss Hammer going twice.

Miss Hammer going three times.

Miss Hammer going three times in the third.

All right, thank you, Miss Hammer.

We appreciate it.

You can send your issues or your questions in writing.

Who do we have next in the queue?

Next up is gonna be Molly M.

Say that again.

Molly M.

Molly, thank you.

Molly M.

Uh 50 seconds.

The floor is yours.

Thank you, Council members.

My name is Molly Menning.

I'm a researcher at Wayne Law, and I urge city council not to renew the contract with ShotSpotter.

When making decisions about allocating finite resources for public safety, we must consider which programs do the most good.

And shot spotter just creates the illusion of safety, not real safety.

Anecdotes are not data.

And while there may be some success stories, it is the responsibility of city council to look at holistic data, and there is no data to show that shot spotter is meeting its intended goals.

The question is not whether one life saved by Shot Spotter is worth two million dollars.

The question is whether two million dollars should be allocated elsewhere where it will save more lives.

Other programs and tools that have demonstrated their effectiveness at reducing gun violence and increasing community safety in proactive and measurable ways.

So again, council look at state studies, data, independent sources that show that shot spotter is not working, and please do not renew the contract.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, Miss Benning.

I apologize.

I mean that's what your name.

Who we have next to the queue?

Our next speaker will be Rebecca Robishard.

All right, 50 seconds.

Good morning.

Thank you for your time.

My name is Rebecca Robichel.

I'm a clinical professor at Wayne State Law School and faculty director of an ABA policing program.

My work intersects between community justice and policing.

And I want to um support what uh Molly Munning just said and address the idea that the two million dollar shot spotter renewal contract is worth it if it if it should save even one life.

But the data does not bear out how shot spider is specifically saving lives, or that it is more effective than doing this than other systems.

There's no data supporting direct correlation between Detroit's crime rates and the use of shot spotter, and in fact, other cities who have done intensive studies and gathered data are showing that shot spotter is not helping their crime rates.

If DPD wants to assert shot spotter works, then they need to produce data proving this.

All right.

Thank you.

Who do we have next to the queue?

Next speaker is William M.

Davis.

All right, Mr.

Davis, floor is yours.

50 seconds.

William and Davis, are you there?

Let's put Mr.

Davis at the end of the queue and go to the next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be Chris Gilmer Hill.

You have two minutes.

Just excuse me.

You have 50 seconds, general public comment.

Good afternoon.

Can I be heard?

Yes, yes.

Yes.

My name is Chris Gilmer Hill.

I'm a lifelong resident of the city's second district and a member of Detroit DSA.

I'm calling in to urge City Council not to renew SHA spotter.

I'd like to thank House Members McCampbell and Santiago Ribeiro for their leadership.

I'm also urging city council that Detroit should be a sanctuary city, that we need a real data center moratorium that's take that's gonna take two years, not just two months.

I'd urge that those three things all go together.

We shouldn't let big tech companies decide our city's future.

It's up to you as our elected representatives, decide a future based in real public safety and building a future that's just for all, not just in throwing endless money into surveillance systems that we know the federal government and ICE are using to attack our neighbors.

For that reason, I urge a no on ShotSpotter.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is going to be thank you for making master plan.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Are you there?

Let's put the caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Next caller is going to be Liz Kennedy.

All right, caller, the floor is yours, general public comment.

And can you hear me?

Yes.

Wonderful.

My name is Liz Kennedy.

I'm a district two resident, and I'm calling from the Detroit Justice Center.

First, I urge you to move forward with the Sanctuary City Ordnance.

And I urge you to follow the public health and safety committee's recommendation and reject the shot spotter contract.

Despite the individual anecdotes we've heard today, council has a responsibility to govern by evidence.

And the data does not support another two million dollars for this technology.

In 2024 and 2025, Detroit had over 24,000 shot spotter alerts.

Only 12% led to a recovered shell case saying only 2% led to a witness.

Less than 1% led first responders to a victim.

Chicago found the same pattern.

Shot spotter alerts rarely produce evidence of a gun-related crime.

I've been attending these meetings for weeks.

DPD cannot clearly tell the public where the technology is located.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is Cindy Dara.

Yeah, uh, why did you check to see why these other cities are canceling this?

Maybe you should before you take our money and throw it away.

Did the shot spotter uh work when that policeman shot that teen on uh during the fireworks where we can't even see the cam what was going on, they don't show it.

So uh I urge these preachers who brought their congregation down to get the vans out, like Clayborn from North Carolina said, get the vote out, take the voters to the poll.

Uh Donna McKinney is running against Tree.

We need to get Tree out of there.

Donna McKinney is in a primary.

If you don't get people to the polls and voting, and I think they can register the same day, as far as I remember.

So next caller, please.

Next caller is Jesus loves everyone.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

Caller, are you there?

Let's put that caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Our next caller will be caller ending at 534.

Caller ending in five three four.

The floor is yours.

General public comment.

Yes, through the chair, may I be heard?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

Uh no to shout spotter.

Just put more police out in the street.

Pay attention to young people.

Stop neglecting them, and we might have less gun violence.

Um, yeah, follow the data, you know, which you didn't do the data to study for the solar firms either, did you?

Um, also, no one in the transit millage, the county transit mills.

You know why?

Because our county commission and our local government should have been funding that, but they blow their money at blow our money and all this other stuff like reckless demolitions.

Now we got to clean it up when they should have been funding the transit.

Yeah, you'll give Brother Cunningham an award, but I'm sure he'd much rather prefer that you would take care of this a long time ago.

You should have you could have used a lot of ARPA money for that instead of given three million to leave positive for the so-called affordable units.

You gave 6.9 million to Richard Hosey of the land bank for the so-called affordable units and uh Fisher Body Next caller, please.

Next caller is Claire.

Claire, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Claire, are you there?

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes, good, good.

Okay, great.

Perfect.

Um, hi, I'm Claire, and I disapprove of the renewal of ShotSpotter.

Um, evidence has proven it to be inefficient and costly.

And I'm from the Detroit Alliance against racist and political repression.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller will be Maya Spori.

Caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Hello, can I be heard?

My name is Maya.

I am a member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee.

I'm here today to tell this council to not renew the contract with ShotSpotter.

Despite what ShotSpotter as a company would want you to believe real data shows that its technology does not keep your constituents safe.

Data analysis as recent as 2026 has repeatedly shown that ShotSpotter across the board has not decreased rates of non-fatal shootings and arrests.

The two million dollars spent on this contract could be spent on investing in this city's uh community violence intervention programs.

I demand that this council use this money for Detroit communities and do not renew this contract.

Thank you.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Tahira Ahmad.

Caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Thank you.

No on the shot spotter and no on sanctuary cities.

Uh make uh Bloomfield Hill a sanctuary city.

Um July 4th, America celebrates the 250-year um birthday.

It became uh a nation because black people were enslaved, creating Wall Street, the cotton industry, the uh sugar, tobacco industry, wall street.

I'm sorry, say it's that insurance companies, banks, university, uh railroad companies, auto industry, and military.

Oh, black descendants of slavery.

We have made America the richest nation in the world, and we made it a superpower.

We were given 40 acres in the mule, it was granted and then taken back.

We uh advise city council to pass the next caller, please.

Our next caller is Teddy White.

Teddy White, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Good morning.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Good morning.

My name is Teddy White.

I'm a district two resident, a block club organizer, a community organizer with BYP 100, Detroit.

I oppose the shot spotter contract.

As we've heard, a study found that only 0.03% of shot spotter alerts have led to arrests.

The lack of effectiveness of shot spotter improves the uh public safety given its high cost has prompted other cities to reassess its value.

Shot spotter is not public safety.

That's a two million dollar waste of taxpayer money.

Last week, an 18-year-old father was shot in the back by Detroit police during the fireworks.

He was handcuffed to a hospital bed for six days without being charged.

And that's the real story of policing in Detroit.

So we do not need more surveillance.

We need more investment in our youth.

So surveillance is not safety.

Thank you so much.

Next follow up, please.

Our next speaker is Jacqueline.

Jacqueline, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Jacqueline, are you there?

Let's put Jacqueline at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Our next caller is Alexandria Trombley.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Good morning, counsel.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Today you've heard so many people speak who all want safer communities, but you have not heard any evidence that shows that ShotSpotter can accomplish that.

Experts, though, provided really strong evidence against ShotSpotter.

We know that it doesn't reduce crime, it doesn't lead to more arrests, or it doesn't save lives.

We know it definitely doesn't prevent crime.

And we all want safety and security.

And thankfully, CVIs can do that.

I urge you not to renew ShotSpotter and instead to allocate that money to CBI groups that will actually prevent crime, not just claim to respond to it.

This is an opportunity either to make a decision supported by evidence and experts or to give more of our money to DPD, despite the fact that they didn't justify that it will be used to improve our city.

Thank you.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller, Sailor Mays.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Hi, my name is Sailor Mays, and I live in New Center.

I am calling to get rid of ShotSpotter.

I was at the safety committee meeting a few weeks ago, and the council members that were heading that meeting were given information about ShotSpotter and how it isn't working in the city of Detroit.

I am um extremely concerned because Shot Spotter listens in, and DPD even mentioned that they didn't know where their shot spotter mics were in the city.

And that is an extreme concern that if the DPD doesn't know where they're at, what does the third party know and where are they placing it in our communities?

We've also mentioned the um problem of 911 operator calls being secondary to shot spotter information calls.

Um and these data centers are these these um are using AI, which is against what we're for.

Thank you.

Next caller first.

Next up, we have Don Yal Saeed.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General Public Comment.

All right.

Let's put the caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Sir, next up we have legendary Detroiter.

Caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

I'm right here, Daddy Tate Jr.

And the end of your political career is on my agenda now.

You it's over with, man.

You call Kennissa's mother, and you've been cheating in so many times.

You know, Dennis Wumphrey is a cheater.

Gina A.B.

Walker needs to be called before the city council to explain how Mary Elaine Beckman's ballot was counted in February 27, 2024, presidential election, but you're not gonna do it.

I'm Blackbag Root.

James E.

Tate Jr., you never should have called my friend.

Now I'm going to demonstrate on your a double dollar sign.

My way.

Did you hear what I said clearly?

Joker.

You are cheated in public official, and I'm about to expose next caller, please.

Next we have Renard Manchunski.

The floor is yours.

Hi, good morning.

Um, can I be heard?

Mr.

President.

All right, thank you.

This August 4th public transportation will be on our ballot.

And there is a proposal to raise new funds for expanded regional transit, connecting Detroiters to communities throughout Wayne County, even if they don't want us here or in their cities for increased access to jobs, health care, educational opportunities in communities that currently do not have bus service like Lavonia, where I can't get to my doctor because some folks there believe that we shouldn't have a right to be in the city.

However, if this proposal is passed, it will raise actually 57 million dollars in Wayne County, including Detroit with 8 million a year to improve the frequency of buses, improve scheduling, increase seating at bus stops and access.

I will tell you this.

My generation is looking at where transit works, not driving cars all over the place.

Next caller is K.

Caller, the floor is yours.

You have uh general public comment.

Good afternoon.

Can I be heard?

Yes.

Thank you.

This is Casey Paller, resident in District 4 and policy manager with Detroit Disability Power calling on behalf of myself personally as well as the organization.

Um last week the Department of Justice put a memo that will be case and casey.

You are breaking up really badly.

Casey, your your feed is breaking up really badly.

So just you want to dial back in.

We'll make sure we allow you to come back in if you to allow your your uh your feet to improve.

Okay.

Okay.

Casey, are you there?

All right, all right.

Uh Sedg, let's put her at the end of the queue and again give her another opportunity to speak at the um as we proceed.

Next caller, please.

Yes, sir.

Next caller is Jacob Smith.

Jacob Smith, the floor is yours.

Hi, yeah.

My name's actually Cassandra.

I'm calling with the Detroit Community Action Committee, and I'm urging the council to vote down on renewing shot spotter.

It's been implemented in major cities across the country, and the data is the same everywhere.

It doesn't make a difference.

But if we don't want to talk about data, we should just talk about what's actually happening in our communities.

Detroit doesn't need more surveillance, it needs police accountability, and it needs investment into community programs.

We have an overpolicing problem, and you guys should not be letting DPD turn you against your neighbors.

You're talking about your neighbors like they're criminals when the real criminals are the DPD officers that are stealing your tax dollars and shooting up your children at community events and helping DPD helping us support our neighbors.

We need to invest into our city and into people, not surveillance.

Our next caller is iPhone.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Yes, my name is Myra Black.

And I'm in support of Shot Spotter.

Right now, up to 90% of gunfire in our neighborhoods go completely unreported.

That means victims are left waiting in the dark and shooters walk away.

Shop spotters changes that.

It gives our officers the exact location of the gunfire within seconds, shaving criminal critical minutes off emergency response times.

This isn't just technology, it's a lifeline for our community.

I am a resident of district six, and I'm in support of ShotSpotter.

Thank you.

Our next caller is gonna be Darren McCleskey.

Caller, are you there?

Good afternoon, Council.

Um, I don't have a whole lot to say regarding Spot Shotter.

Um, I guess if we don't want to be spotted, just don't take the shots.

Um, using crime and and blight is an excuse to dismantle neighborhoods without restrictions for solar.

So kind of conflicted because you might use the data to destroy a neighborhood and put solar panels in.

I'd also like to state for the record, and I know that anyone who is familiar with with legal proceedings.

Edward Ewell is the main judge on the solar docket.

He was Wayne County Corporation Counsel with Hatcock, the last eminent domain case that shook our state to its core and enshrined a constitutional amendment protecting property rights.

He hired Zausmer.

He worked closely with Misha Boardman, he gibbons, who is the main attorney.

Next caller is calling user three.

Yes, ma'am.

Uh Catholic Tate.

Young friends.

I would like for you to police stop drugs from being sold.

Um in front of 1055 Washington Boulevard at the corner of Michigan Avenue, which is across the street from the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

Stop it from being sold at the Grand River Myers.

Replace the glass shelter, other than giving arrogant excuses.

Your staff has done nothing to help me undertake.

Just want you to know that on record.

We need to know about that.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller will be Frank Hammer.

All right, Frank Hammer, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Good afternoon, City Council.

How ironic that we heard a presentation today about enjoying Battle Isle on the same day that our senior residents are told to stay indoors for their safety due to a record heat wave.

This is climate change caused by heating of our planet that is a result of Exon and DTE keeping us addicted to oil and so-called natural gas.

In the words of Mayor Sheffield's 2019 City Council resolution supporting the Green New Deal.

We have less than five years now to reduce all carbon emissions by half, or we face even more catastrophic climate change.

Act on the Green New Deal now.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Our next caller is caller ending at 114.

All right, caller.

The floor is yours.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

All right, let's put their caller at the end of the queue and go to the next, please.

Yes, sir.

That makes our next caller, Dorothy Bennick.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General Public Comment.

The floor is yours.

Mute.

Good afternoon, honorable city council.

I am calling in support of Spot Shatter.

Our chief of police asked for an extension on March 30th.

It's sad that we are looking at this renewal on the day that it expires.

As of yesterday, we have 38,546 reports.

57 of those reports happened on June 28th.

That's way too many shots being fired in the city of Detroit.

Chicago did away with Shot Spotter in 24.

And as of May of this year, they are now looking at finding a new supplier because they think they need it.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller before we go to our callers in the queue is going to be Marcel Ulyssia.

Caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Caller, are you there?

All right, let's put that caller at the end of the queue.

Go to the next, please.

Yes, sir.

Hello.

Hello.

Can you can you guys hear me?

Yes, sir.

Good afternoon.

Uh hi, my name's uh Marcel.

Um, I'm with the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Um, I mean, a lot's been said, but one side clearly has data.

Um, I would just urge city councils do your research.

It's a very easy, like it's it's very widely researched like issue.

So uh shot spotter isn't a belief system.

Uh it can be proven inefficient through data, and two million dollars is a significant investment.

Um, those funds can instead support violence prevention programs, youth opportunities, uh, or mental health services, even um.

Yeah, uh I resent my time.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Um to our callers in the queue, sir.

First up, we have Miss Betty A.

Varner.

Ms.

Betty A.

Varner, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Good afternoon to all within the sound of my voice.

I'm Betty A.

Varner, the president of the Soda Elsewhere uh Black Association.

I'm in support of uh shot spotter.

There has been a decline in violent crime, and shot spotter is one of the two used to have the uh reduction in violent crime.

Officers identify gunshots in real time.

Recently, a child's life was saved because of shot spotter, and it was detected that there was gunfire, and from my understanding, no one had called 911.

DB uh Detroit Police Department was alerted by shot spotter and was able to locate the child and save the child's life and provide services to the child immediately.

Thank you.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Karen Hammer.

General public comment.

Good morning.

Can you hear me?

Yes, yes.

Uh, yes.

Victoria Camille, I support everything you said.

Data from Shot Spotter shows no data or connection or records of saving lives or preventing violence.

I support the Detroit police department with the resources.

The money should uh prevent violence and reduce crime, like the CVIs, teams that go through neighborhoods and need to continue.

The DPD has worked with community partners and organizations to reduce violence.

Their staff show this as they initiated collaborative programs to prevent crime.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is William M.

Davis.

William and Davis, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Are you there going twice?

Fortunately gonna have to move on.

If you would like to provide your comments to the clerk's office, they will be placed onto public record.

Next caller, please.

Next caller is Jesus loves everyone.

Happy pride.

Yeah.

I'm sorry, sir.

We're going through the process that's online.

Are you there?

Unfortunately, we're gonna have to move on.

If you would like to provide your comments to the clerk's office, it would be placed on to public record.

Next caller, please.

Next up is the jack one.

General public comment.

Hello.

Hello.

Oh, okay, good.

I just want um, if I'm not mistaken, Chief Bedison um said that he uses Shot Spider as a recovery tool.

I just need somebody to explain it to me because I've heard all the um comments.

Maybe city council can explain it to me like I'm five years old.

How does shot spotter actually work?

Does it save lives or is the um police department using it as a recovery tool, which the chief actually said um for um preventing, I mean, for um finding people who have committed crimes along with the um shells from the gunshots, they're able to identify the area of where the um gunshot shells are, and that is my question, but explain it to me, please.

Thank you.

Next caller is gonna be Daniel Saeed.

All right, caller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Hello, may I be heard?

Yes.

Okay, yeah, hello.

My name is Daniel.

I am a member of the Detroit Work Committee, and I'm also a two-time graduate of Wayne State University.

Um, today I'm urging alongside many other people for the city council to not renew the two million dollar contract with Shot Spider.

Shot Spider has been proven by many independent sources like the University of Michigan that Shot Spider has been proven not to work.

We should use tools that are and have been proven scientifically to actually work and bring violence down, like the many CBI groups who are here today.

Not a surveillance contract that a DPD uses to racially profile black citizens in Detroit due to faulty shot spider notifications, just like it did on Mother's Day this year.

I urge city council to not renew shot spotter contract and invest in this community.

Thank you.

I yield the rest of my time.

Next call next caller, please.

Final caller in the queue is going to be caller ending in one one four.

Caller ending in one one four.

Yo, can you hear me?

Yes.

313 444 9114.

E G-Oh ego.

Edging.

God.

EGO.

God has rewritten everything that you do.

Transportation needs to be at the forefront, and this needs to pass.

Some of you on council and some of you at home are edging that out.

You gotta look out for the poor, those who trying to get to work school and play.

Uh transportation is vital.

Don't edge got out.

Go ahead and vote yes.

Uh on that uh proposal that you guys uh have before you 313 444, 911 4.

Before we close out, Casey is back online, and that will be our last call.

Okay, Casey Peller, the floor is yours.

General public comment.

Casey, are you there?

Still be having that connection issue.

Casey, are you there going once?

Casey, are you there going twice?

Casey Peller, are you there going three times?

Unfortunately, we're gonna have to move on.

If you would like to provide your comments to the clerk's office, and we'll be placed on onto public record.

Thank you so much.

And then now closes out our general public comment.

Uh colleagues, uh, open up the floor for any comments that you would like to provide.

I'll start with members Santiago Romero.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, thank you, everyone, for calling in today uh with your comments.

I really appreciate it.

Um, I do just want to uh remind folks again and uh speak directly regarding sanctuary cities.

Um a reminder that I did reach out to your organization very early this year.

I had a meeting with organizers and I asked for six months of collaborative work.

I said that the resolution that you submitted is not an ordinance, it is a resolution.

Let's work on it line by line to make it better.

So that's something that we can pass.

I asked for six months of collaborative work and to not ask for sanctuary city, because when I talk with undocumented immigrants, and as you heard from black detroiters, they don't want it.

They are afraid of having a target on our back.

And I think that's how we should listen to that.

Um, so I'm ashamed that really we can't work together.

I welcome you to please reach out to our office for us to do so, because that's really how we're gonna be able to do it.

When I mentioned Philadelphia, I mentioned that they work together.

They have a full council, they have a mayor's office and community members that have put forward together policies and budget requests to help undocumented immigrants.

Documented immigrants are asking us for legal aid and for basic needs and to do whatever we can within our power to limit ICE activities.

My ordinance has been drafted.

We are reviewing that now with uh with immigrant rights groups and with Merck, who's actually telling us to still still not to do it.

But we're going through this process.

I welcome you to engage in it.

Um, but I want to be very clear that we are working on protecting our undocumented immigrants here.

Um, thank you, Mr.

President.

Just wanted to make that clear um and welcome folks to join us because this is a real issue.

And you're correct.

There is currently a deportation happening that was happening this morning in district six.

There were police on the sites, and I'm talking with the mayor and with the chief in real time to see what's going on.

So thank you all for keeping us in the loop.

I will continue to make sure that the mayor knows what's going on so that we do better for all of our residents.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you.

Alex, any further any further saying none, we shall close out uh public comment section.

And there are no objections.

Let's go to line item 20.9.

That is the contract that many folks have been discussing today, and that is regarding shot spotter.

Madam Clerk.

Council Member Santiago Rivero, a resolution line item 20.9, contract number 6004384-A1.

100% city funding, amendment one to provide an extension of time and an increase of funds for the subscription-based gunshot detection location and forensic analysis service.

Contractor, sound thinking incorporated total contract amount nine million fifty-eight thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight dollars, and that is for police.

Councilmember Santiago Romero, a resolution.

Thank you, Mr.

Proced's uh motion to discuss motion to discuss line item 20.9.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, and just want to share briefly.

Um, again, thanks everyone for coming in, sharing your thoughts on why we should support and why we should not renew this contract.

Um, I had been from the very beginning against this contract.

Um, and as we heard, there is not data to show the effectiveness of this technology.

Um, during the time uh we the of receiving feedback directly from residents.

I've also heard stories of residents being negatively impacted by police who have come to their homes after getting a call from shock spotter, um, and just the the fact that people are not feeling safe.

Um, ultimately, it it is true that we would not have CVI groups today if it was not for us fighting this technology and making sure that we are investing in our people and our communities, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Frankly, it's going to be 100 degrees tomorrow, and we're being asked who do you call if it's not police to help our neighbors who might be hot on the streets?

Who do we call if we have a neighbor that is homeless?

And there are other cities that invest in crisis response units that invest on beyond just a cool response that have been asking that our city focus on and that we do instead.

For these reasons, I am against this contract.

I ask council to look at the data, to look at our funding, um, and to listen to the stories, all of it matters.

Um, but I think for for me, the the data, the effectiveness, effectiveness or this effectiveness or uneffectiveness we're on my part.

I know that CPD, who are all here, good to see you all, um, are here to make sure that this goes through today.

Um, so I know that there is uh a desire to vote this up or down today, which I believe we we will do.

Um, but I leave it up for more discussion, Mr.

President, if needed before a motion for approval.

Thank you.

Colleagues, any further discussion?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and good afternoon to everyone.

Thank you all for coming down and calling in um about this uh contract, and for the folks who have been engaged in the committee process of the multiple hearings that we've had on this.

I want to be very clear on this.

When we are talking about data, it is not to negate the experience that folks have had.

The data actually gives us that that rounded view that we must take into account.

Um, that I believe here on City Council when we're deciding on a contract that is two million dollars for seven months.

There's been a lot of comments about shot spotter preventing gun violence.

The city, the the police department and sound thinking themselves says that shot spotter is not a crime prevention tool and it's not a violence reduction tool.

We the data is just not there to support me to support this contract.

When the department's own data shows that 911 calls are faster, that arrests only follow two to three percent of the alerts, that aid is rendered to victims that are less than one percent of the cause or cases that they get, and then we have no uh performance benchmarks that exist to either discontinue or window the program, that is alarming to me.

And then when we look at the aspect of the things that we don't even capture when it comes to data, the showcase and recovery rates, the firearm recovery rates, the witness identification rates, the victim location rates, the EMS response association, arrest prosecution, and uh conviction race per alert.

That is an incomplete story for me, and it does not provide the data that says that we should continue this.

And also, when we have the zones for CBI, does also the same zones for um the shot spotter, and then we're not able to delineate the impact for both.

That shows me again that we cannot say that this is an effective program.

So, as we're looking at 2.1 million dollars being actually put into the contract extension, we know the things that work for prevention.

We don't want anyone to experience gun violence.

One person is too many, but when I'm looking at what we have in front of us, Shot Spider does not actually aim to prevent that.

And with that, I would be opposing this contract.

I really hope that the department does do uh independent study on this as we've been told, and there's a big commitment there before we move forward with the next RFP process on um this technology there.

And the last thing I'll say, because you all know that I've been constantly talking about the surveillance and data.

The fact of this is that the recordings are not owned by the city of Detroit.

We don't know where the sensors are.

We also this is a this is a profit-driven company that the aim is only to make as much a profit as possible.

They are not a public safety company, right?

So, and then the data is stored on an Amazon web server, and we know Amazon is notorious for giving our data to folks who don't have our best in their mind.

We can do better.

There are better options here, and for me, we are afforded the the view on city council to explore those options.

So that is why I will be opposing this contract extension.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Member Vincent.

All right, thank you.

Um, I want to thank everybody who's come out and thank DPD, want to thank all those who actually work and struggle in the field and in the streets of Detroit, which is no easy feat.

I've been supporting and working to improve shot spotter since September of 2015.

You can do a simple Google search, Councilman Scott Benson and ShotSpotter.

Due to its ability to address unreported gunfire and facilitate community-led trauma care following incidents as outlined in the in the article from 2015, and as identified by Zoe this morning, that this is something they will be following a program that we laid out in the third district 11 years ago.

When we get a shot spotter hit, we go to those doors.

We provide human resource information, human service information and wraparound services to ensure people know that you were being watched and we care.

This is not just about law enforcement.

This is about human lives.

A $2.3 million contract versus a $13 million value, statistical value of life.

That means we don't have to do this every five years.

Shot spotter has proven it's valid.

The residents have spoken in the third district.

We have been working with ShotSpotter for over a decade successful, and we understand the return on investment.

We understand how we improve the quality of life and the statistics and the data prove that out.

I will continue to support ShotSpotter, continue to demand that it is important and support CVI communities utilizing the work that we started in the third district prior to the city of Detroit adopting ShotSpotter.

We have been doing ShotSpotter before the city in the third district, and we continue to do that.

Thank you.

I can plan to support this contract today.

Thank you.

And members, Mr.

Chair, I'd also like to hear from DPD to discuss the issues that have been brought up and support and or refute data that has brought up today.

We will give uh other members an opportunity to speak first and we'll bring them up.

Um, Miner Vincent, you stole exactly what I was getting ready to say, because I want to bring up um to bring up assistant chief.

I want to ask some questions about ShotSpotter, if he could, and also if I could bring it up, I see some people that are here from uh community advisor intervention programs where they can come up here as well, so I can ask them some questions.

And that's okay, Mr.

President.

He's gonna ask some questions.

Is that is that okay?

No, but you're if you're asking a question.

Yeah, I'm gonna ask you a question.

No, no, they asked some questions.

That's okay.

Good morning, honorable five.

Please introduce yourself to the record.

Thanks for being here.

Good morning, please introduce Franklin Hayes, first assistant chief, Detroit Police Department.

Uh, and with me uh on the DPD side, assistant chief Eric Ewing, Deputy Chief Mark Bliss, Commander Sunir Russell, Captain Erica Fredericks.

Commissioner Durrow Woods.

Morning, Council.

Uh, seeing Director Brent, mayor's office of neighborhood and community safety.

Thank you all for being here.

I just wanted to ask you to tell me some of the stories that you have about lives that are saved from ShotSpotter.

Particularly I heard there was a nine-year-old that was lifeless saved.

You just kind of talk to me about that a little bit.

Through the chair, uh, one of the voices that you heard today was actually the mother uh of that victim.

Uh, the person that we believe had a role uh in this, uh, has not been uh criminally charged yet.

That may be happening later today.

So I uh have to speak uh a bit generically uh about uh the the circumstances of that until they are charged, but uh we we will uh be more forthcoming, or I guess more uh transparent uh of the details.

Um, however, shot spotter uh last week.

Um we got an alert, not a 911 call, uh in uh the west side of Detroit.

Uh that shots had been fired.

Uh, what's remarkable about this, or just payments, I'm not sure what to call it, uh, is that they were two different alerts, uh, about a half a block apart and about a minute and a half apart.

Um, officers responded again with no 911 call.

Uh, and when they got there, uh addressing the first shot spotter location directly pinpointed to the location is where the officers responded.

Uh, and they found uh a deceased male there uh in his 20s.

Uh the officers doing their due diligence because they were in the area, also investigated.

And again, it came a minute after.

And then that is where we found the young man again, whose mother we heard from today, that was also a victim of gun violence in shot.

Our officers, the first ones there, the only ones there, then got that young man, the medical help that he needed.

Spent some time in a coma, uh medically induced coma.

Uh and um he's in recovery now or recovering uh up, and I believe he has for some food and uh watch his favorite television show, uh recent as yesterday.

Uh, but it was this technology that gave this young man a fighting chance to be whatever he wants to be in life.

Uh we would not have been there.

Uh the the location that it happened was uh one of uh the unprogrammed spaces in the city of Detroit.

So the revitalization had not yet arrived there.

Uh there were no uh occupied houses uh in a lot of vacant land.

Had we not had shot spotter, we would not have been there.

Uh and when we would uh uh have discovered both of the victims of that incident, uh the likelihood that we uh would have a mother here uh talking through uh the tragedy, but uh that her son would get through it, um, probably wouldn't happen.

Uh it would be a different story that's told that quite frankly, the other parent is is is is reeling with uh and dealing with uh that mother, both parents, but especially that mother and that four, seven-year-old through ShotSpotter.

We were able to get there on what was perhaps the worst day of their life, uh, and we were able to save it.

And um just an example of I don't I don't want to say the price we put on life, but I would say the value of this technology as we work in conjunction with CBI, uh, with uh in conjunction with the Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety to make the safer Detroit that we all want to see uh until we get there.

Again, Shot Spotter and is an amazing tool uh that's helping us on that journey.

I appreciate that, man.

Thank you.

Um I also wanted to ask, I don't know if this is to Mr.

Woods or Mr.

Brent, or also want to ask.

You tell me how shot spotter uh coincides and works with CVI in terms of being able to achieve uh reductions in terms of homicide and crime in general.

How does that work?

Uh, through the chair, uh thank you, uh Council Pro Tim Young.

Oh, so there are a few different ways, right?

So in the third preschool in the third district, actually in the ninth precinct, right?

I know Quincy Smith and his team specifically, they probably do it better than most.

However, in the 7th in District 7, your district uh council member McCampbell, Zoe has created even more comprehensive uh strategy and model that we would be employing through my office, right?

In fact, they want to model it out to the tune of roughly $300,000 in order to do it uh more comprehensively and robustly, right?

But he has resources for that.

We're gonna trial it out through there, troll it out through his particular uh organization and see what kind of outcomes we get from that.

However, the way that it's currently being used by CVI groups is that they have reviews shot spotter reviews, right?

Right after the occurrence has happened.

The teams then are dispatched, the CDI teams are then dispatched to those particular communities where those shootings occur and begin to engage the community around trying to identify who calls, who the players are if they haven't already determined identify who they are.

Most of the times we have a good idea of who's in conflict and who's you know participating in those kinds of behaviors, but more importantly, they provide also brief support to families.

They provide no trauma intervention care and support to families.

You know, they ensure that the families in those communities get the resources, and then also they identify again the root causes so they can begin to do a lot of their prevention and community transformation work.

They predicate a lot of their activities around the communities that have the most shot spotter hits, especially the large clusters, because what we learn what we learn is that when you have large clusters of hits in particular neighborhoods, usually that means that the uh individuals are using an assault rifle or switches.

There's a particular kind of individual doing a particular kind of work that's using that kind of weaponry.

What it does is that it helps our CBI teams to identify who's using that kind of weaponry, and that gives us an ideal of exactly who and what we're dealing with.

Like I said, in many cases, you know, we know who the individuals are who are participating in those kinds of act activities.

However, we don't always know the frequency at which they are participating in that kind of activity.

Here's something else that hasn't been talked about at all.

People say shot stopper doesn't save life.

That's patently false.

Because the quicker that we can identify which shootings occur, we can identify who's doing the shooting.

And once we identify who's doing the shooting, we can then prevent what we call in the field participatory, not particularly but uh um retaliatory violence, right?

Right.

And this has been done in a numerous amount of times, right?

We can't even we need to measure it.

You're correct, right?

Right, but we don't specifically measure that, but we will.

It's no problem.

I can produce some data from that moving forward.

But but that's something that's really that hasn't been measured.

But as far as retaliatory violence, I mean, you you can't imagine how many gang wars or how many lives we've saved as a result of utilizing this technology and our relationships in these communities.

It's just it's really immeasurable.

So there's providing wraparound services, but with shot spotter, it allows you to be a wraparound spot uh services with a certain level of accuracy and precision that you otherwise wouldn't be able to do.

So is that correct?

Oh, absolutely, because communities where you have a lot of shootings and consistent shootings, we know that's we need to concentrate our efforts and our resources.

Um, I was just gonna say, Mr.

Woods, you just tell me how shot spotter, uh, what you think the impact is, and how it's impacting you from the police commission standpoint.

Uh I think it's very powerful.

Uh that that young man would have bled out.

That baby, our baby.

Seven years old, not that.

Yes, seven years old.

Excuse me.

Oh, sorry, seven years old.

Yeah, he would have bled out.

Uh uh, there was no no no nobody there to rescue him.

He was in a desolate area in the city.

And so the the high level of trauma that this family is going through is unmeasurable.

Uh uh, the rector went to the hospital to go visit his family and work with this family, wrapped his arms around the family, brought me in, brought others in to be able to give them the help that they need.

And it's unfortunate, and you know, I I wouldn't recommend her to be here today.

Uh, you know, but she was compelled to be here because she is a direct result of the positive uh response that happened with DPD.

Uh and I I applaud uh the department uh for being able to help save this child's life, you know, you know, and then when you're talking about the bullets uh uh that is left out there, the the thousands and thousands of bullets that they've been able to collect.

Uh uh the FBI right run that through what do alignment uh search, and once that happened, that uh part of the investigation to find out more and more about uh uh who are the killers, you know, you know, and so it's it's definitely worth it.

And is it is it perfect?

Um absolutely not, you know, you know, but it is the tool that is being used, and they just saying, let's finish out this particular portion.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water, but but let's continue this service as they get uh uh even better technology uh uh to be able to help.

And so this is not about us turning on each other, we should be turning to each other.

Uh we shouldn't uh uh this all this hateful talk and stuff like that.

I love everybody, you know, you know, uh Uncle Tom language and all that type of stuff.

Man, uh I am unbought and unbossed, unbought and unbossed.

I'm not paid by nobody, but I'm here because I hear the blood of that seven-year-old crime out, and we need to be able to respond to that.

That is something that our children deserve in our community deserve, and that's why uh I'm here.

I have to go do some other work when I leave here, you know.

But I made it my business to be here because that family and the other families deserve it.

And let me, and if I may, Tavon Clark, who we went to that hospital to.

See, we do this for real.

See the mayor's office, we go to the hospitals, we support the families while they're in the hospital, after the hospital, we support them through the funeral process, through the grieving process.

We're gonna support them after that as well, right?

Right.

So we went to um the hospital with Jock Feast, of course.

We were there for over five hours, been in constant communication with the family.

We went to the vigil for BJ, they called him BJ, Brother Willie Keys Jr., who was killed, the 20-year-old who was killed in the vehicle with the seven-year-old, right?

But I also want to mention Tavon Clark, the 14-year-old who was killed during the so-called teen takeover, 14-year-old.

It was because of our ceasefire group, especially Ortega Jacksonelle, who applied pressure.

But also, because of Shot Spotter, police were able to get to that young man while Ortega had his hand on the hole to prevent him from bleeding out.

They were able to get there quickly to get EMS there to help save his life.

There's another example.

Three years ago, we're trying to get the name of the woman.

It's unfortunate we don't remember this woman's name.

She's an older woman on the east side, I think in your area, uh, Councilmember Vinson.

She got shot in the head and shot in the abdomen.

It was because of Shot Spotter, literally in that situation, her life was saved as well.

My ceasefire team was was there on the scene, and they're the ones who remembered it.

In fact, you can ask Tamara Liberty Smith, and she can share with you details about that.

So there are numerous examples of this, I'm sure.

I'm with you, Councilmember McCampbell, I'm with you, Councilmember Santiago Romero.

We do need to do a probably a better job at tracking these and the collecting this data and telling these stories.

But the realities are still the realities, whether there's data or not.

There are lives that have been saved.

I've just identified three tangible examples.

And if you go by our model, the 1.8 million, which is not your 13 million, I need that number, by the way, sir.

But if you go by 1.8 million, that's 1.8 plus 1.8, that's 3.6 plus 1.8, that's 5.4 million.

I think I would say it pays full.

I was just gonna say, uh, Mr.

Hayes, I just want to ask you, and then you can finish with everything you want to say.

I want to just ask you just generally is it your conclusion that Shot Spotter saves lives?

Through the chair, absolutely.

And is there anything else you want to speak to that at all?

I do, I don't know.

I I do have uh uh comments, but I don't know.

Uh at your pleasure, Mr.

Chair, if I can save them to answer uh any further questions of your colleague first.

I'm done, Mr.

President.

Um I'm done.

Thank you, all I preach.

I'm done.

So if you want to answer one.

So let me let me just say no, sir, no sir.

Sorry about that.

So I just want to say that um I support DPD in a major way.

Have done so for quite a long time.

Um cut my teeth in that department.

Um, and and appreciate the work that the men and women of the Detroit police department do on a regular basis.

I was also on the forefront in government on the CBI work, working with uh Chief Bettison, uh when he was deputy mayor and making sure that it was embedded within the city of Detroit.

Work with a number of groups, brother Brent, you remember, uh, Brother Woods, same thing, right?

Working collaboratively, I think is important.

We do uh everything we can uh to uh save the lives of of our folks, uh prevent gun violence, violence in general, but also doing what is necessary uh in the event that violence does take place to ensure that we're able to uh bring someone to justice and do our best to provide some level of closure to the family, whatever that means when you lose a family member to gun violence, senseless gun violence.

This has been a tough one for me because I've supported you know shot spotter from the very very beginning, even when it was they first initially brought it to us as a pilot for free to get to the point now where we have nine months and they're looking for two million dollars.

I have a challenge with that dollar amount.

I have to tell you, it's not about the technology.

I've seen it.

I won't the the nine-year-old, that incident happened in district one.

That nine-year-old lives, uh, the incident happened in district one.

It happened in an area that we're now uh looking to uh redevelop.

Uh, we have a stormwater project that's happening, so it wasn't vacant by accident, it was vacant on purpose.

We're moving.

That's a that's a project.

Unfortunately, no one was there to hear that young man's cries.

That's painful.

I often put myself in that situation where what I feel like if that was a relative of mine, and I don't have to have to uh to to uh imagine too much because my sister lives right near that corner, literally.

So my family is over in that neighborhood.

But the fact that this company is telling us nine for nine months, two million dollars, it's a problem for me.

It's a real challenge for me.

And even when asked, would they renegotiate the contract?

The answer is no, because we've been giving you a deal in the first place.

So that leads me now to a situation where I cannot approve this particular uh amendment.

I am looking forward though to the RFP for whatever we're going to do next, whether it is you know this company rebids on it, another company rebids on it, or uh additional because uh from my understanding when we first started this process, these these are the this is the only show in town.

They're not anymore.

So I'm asking from my perspective, my residents.

What are the other capabilities are we looking for in addition to what Shot Spotter currently provides?

And I know I I hear from my colleagues as well about the metrics and the data and the collection.

That's one thing, but from our expectation from this product, hopefully a uh a reduced cost because not as competition.

That's that's important to me.

What else are we looking for?

I remember the chief said that you know, again, he's looking at potentially other vendors.

What are we looking for?

And and the other question I have, and you may not be able to answer it is where's that process in terms of uh putting that RFP out for this new company or the new uh service?

Yes, sir, Mr.

Chair.

Uh we uh cost was a driving factor uh in this, which is why we went to an RFP uh to see uh as you indicated at the time they were the uh only gunshot detection provider uh that we were aware of, and we needed to do something uh to stop the gun violence here uh in the city.

Uh one of the things that uh again while we went into this was mainly cost, but also in the spirit of continuous improvement, as Chief Edison always says that what we're able to do with that data and the wraparound services because just obtaining that information and not using it and not bringing every bit of resources, whether it's from the Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety in the mayor's office, or whether it's offices that each of you have in your districts and running, be able to take uh that information and get it to those that are in need so that they realize that using a gun isn't their only option, whether it be conflict resolution, whether they don't have the the means uh to cope, whatever the root cause of that is, uh we're able to take that data uh and use it.

The second question that you asked, and please forgive me, uh Chair.

I don't think you would be able to ask her, maybe you can't.

I can answer that.

Yes, sir.

So uh going on right now uh is the selection process.

The RFP went out.

Uh we had our responses, and we are selecting the final two right now, at which at point we would then pilot them uh to uh see which is the best, which is the most cost beneficial to the taxpayers.

Uh although it is very hard to put a price on a human life, uh, we want to be stewards of the taxpayers' dollars uh to ensure that.

Uh what that RFP will look like in the areas that we program, we will overlay both systems to ensure that both can pick up.

They both have the same responsiveness, the same uh uh feedback loop and the time, and then if there if one perhaps outperforms the other and the price is right, we will be coming uh before you uh with that as an option as the as an alternative.

But this technology uh is extremely important, and it's the and um as council member Santiago Romero mentioned uh when the first iteration or when this was going, there was pushback.

Uh, because uh it was through that that it was the CBI that we needed to fund CBI, and when we got to that place to see how they work together in concert was a direct factor, and while we're able to drive gun violence down, even go even though gun violence is down here in the city, uh across the board, it is even a more significant decrease in those areas where we're overlaid with ShotSpotter, in addition to the CBI program.

So we will continue uh to use them and again as the and first it was ShotSpotter and the and of CVI, CVI is funded.

Uh they have it, so now we need CVI and ShotSpotter.

Uh but still it is the end, and in working concert uh together, we can continue uh to do what it is uh that we're doing, and that's driving violence in the city now is what we all want.

One of the other things uh that we are looking at and heard a few things during public comment uh as it relates to the tool being raised.

Just real quick.

I I just wanted to touch on one more time.

What are we looking for in this new RFP that's different than what we have currently in ShotSpot?

The driving factor is cost.

Uh and uh to a point that we also um are able to move the technology if needed.

Data has driven every single deployment area where it is each area, each footprint, because we know because we got that data based on 911 calls or actually for shooting or actual gun violence.

Well, when the resources have gotten to those that are in need, and there's no longer a need for this resource, we want to be able to redeploy it in the next violent area to continue again to take those resources and move them over there.

So we are looking at a bit of mobility uh in the technology um in the event of growth, and then ultimately cost.

Thank you.

So you may proceed.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, I went down that, but I was gonna say, I'm sorry, I don't know if colleagues have any more questions.

Uh member Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair, and good afternoon to all of you.

Um so I know I've taken a look at the ninth precinct map and the gun fires.

And I'm just absolutely shocked when I see it, because it is throughout the entire ninth precinct.

I have residents in the fifth precinct who are asking for the technology.

And I keep saying, you don't want it, you don't want it because that means you have guns that are being shot in your community.

So please don't advocate for it.

Um but I will say that when I had a conversation with you, uh, first AC in regards to the ninth precinct, because I was just so dismayed by the map, you shared with me that crime in the ninth precinct is the lowest that it's been that's really hard to swallow.

That's really difficult to understand.

My little sister and my mother both live in the ninth precinct.

I do appreciate team pursuit and the work that they're doing, um, recognizing that they utilize the information to go to the neighborhood and share resources and provide support to our residents.

Director Brent, can you talk a little bit more about the wraparound services?

Because that's what everybody's looking for, right?

We're saying, how are we getting information to our residents to prevent this from happening in the first place?

Do residents have jobs, do they have access to training?

Where's our educational system and helping to connect all of that for them because that's what's going to reduce the number of gunshots that we hear?

How are we providing that support, that additional support to those residents?

That's a great question.

And I wish I had Brother Quincy here because he could really drill down on it for you, but I can share with you uh how that operates, right?

So in every CVI group, uh, especially team pursuit, um, they have what you call case managers, right?

So the VIs interact with case managers, they do some case manager work as well, but the VIs interact with case managers who are tasked with the responsibility of once we identify high risk, because you know, CDI specifically define uh designed to identify high and mid-risk uh potential shooters and actual shooters.

Uh their task to then identify exactly what are their needs, because you know, crime is born out of criminogenic needs.

They identify exactly what their needs are.

Some cases it may be an employment employment, depending on how old the young person is.

In many cases, it may be they need help with housing uh insecurity, food and security, clothing.

Our teams pay utility bills all the time.

Our teams did uh uh they identify housing.

In fact, I just wrote a letter for a person in in your area, a mother who needs housing, wrote a letter of support for her, and we're hoping to get her uh uh get her situation addressed.

But sometimes we need to assist with getting the young men back into school, especially if they come out of the juvenile system.

One of the things that we do, which is very different than some of the other groups throughout the country, is that we track our young folks all the way through JDF.

So we not only have programming and community, and this is these are resources oftentimes that comes from another place, not even from uh the mint the money, the means and hours that you guys give us, right?

These are additional resources that are that our guys are utilizing and accessing, but we track individuals through JDF.

They wind up back in JDF, we provide intervention services there until they come back home.

That's some of the work that Brother Woods does with his organization.

He's one of our one of our uh partners who actually helps with help transform the lives of the young people who wind up back in JDF.

But mostly what we do to your specific point, if the mother needs housing, we help mothers with housing.

If children need support, we help with those children.

Children need diapers, if children need clothes, if children need shoes, we help with that.

Whatever is causing the young people to be involved in that life, our teams are tasked and resourced to address those uh concerns.

And and director Brent, to that point, are you saying that when the CBI groups go to the doors of our residents in these areas that people are actually opening the door that they're having conversations because that's usually the greatest challenge.

I on a regular basis am trying to connect residents with resources, and I think there's a disconnect because I'm part of the government.

Yeah, are they actually having those conversations to be able to connect them with the programs and the resources that are available?

Yeah, they have to because they have access to their children.

You know, they can't have uh have relationships with their children without first having the relationships with their parents or the individuals who are responsible for the young folks' lives.

So without question, that's the way we build relationships with the children is by going to the homes and actually talking to these mothers, these fathers, in many cases, grandparents.

Right.

You know, and that's what, you know, that's what is born out of the canvassing.

But again, there are they already have pre-existing relationships in those communities.

But what it does is allow allows us to understand how the communities in which that particular violent event has occurred are impacted, right?

Which is something say, for instance, we may not be directed there because we're dealing with the young person who's directly involved in the activity, but we may not necessarily touch the communities that are directly the you know, the microcommunities are directly impacted by particularly violent behavior.

But what this technology assists us with doing is identifying, okay, these shootings are regularly occurring on Wayburn, right?

Or they're regularly occurring on, I don't know, like Agapin.

We may not necessarily go to Algonquin because our kids may not be there.

But if we see okay, a lot of activity is happening on Al Conquin, now we got to organize on Al Concord and build relationships with individuals in that community.

That's how this technology has been helping us.

Is the model perfect?

Absolutely not, but we will perfect it.

We will perfect it.

Thank you.

Can you speak to um a concern?

I think that was raised during public comment as it relates to a reduction in funding for the CBI groups.

Yeah, there's a reduction.

I thank God for you.

You funded us uh through general funds, yes, for this fiscal year.

Thank you very much.

So that's in fact, I spoke with that young man.

That's when we left, and I had a conversation with him saying that's not true.

This council has supported CBI from the very beginning.

And you guys are even uh having discussions individually, I think collectively about what does expansion look like because here's the reality.

Do you know that every single, every single police commander, they're all here.

They all want a CVI group in their community.

They fight with each other over a CVI over wanting a CVI group in their community.

You know, so at some point in time, we need to really look at what a CBI expansion look like.

For instance, the 10th precinct is an area that can use some special attention, and that's where we're focusing our C Spire teams and we're building relationships with pre-existing organizations there who are not doing CBI work, but they are working with young people.

So we're looking from the mayor's office of the ability community safety at how can we resource them, even though they're not doing CBI work, but they're working with young people, you know, maybe we can inject some of those principles into what they're doing already since they're already there.

And if I may uh another comment came through I heard that someone uh residents had some bad experiences.

Um, I know that someone came to the Board of Police Commission meeting and told a bold-faced lie.

Uh uh Caucasian lady came, uh, said that she got treated very, very well when they came out, and the uh her African American uh uh neighbor was mistreated.

You know, we took that very serious, and we looked at that and uh was able to see uh the body cam video ourselves, and it was just a terrible, blatant lie.

And I was just disgusted that somebody will come to our meeting and do something like that.

You know, that's it, you know, that type of stuff uh is you know, you got to uh trust but verify, you know, and when we looked into that, um you know, uh I I took everything out of me not to respond back in the meeting, a couple of commissioners did.

I didn't want to respond, but people should not come to meetings and tell lies saying that they have bad experiences, knowing that we're gonna look at it, and when we look at it, it was a terrible and hateful lie.

The accused of uh police of doing some things to this African American guy, you know, and you know, and she said she felt so privileged when she came in because she was treated like uh Snow White, you know, and that was just terrible, and and I I was we can get that information to you with a blatant lie occurred.

Thank you all.

Uh lastly, I will just say that um my team and I, we did send a survey out as we did the last time this was before us, and residents of District 4 are supportive of the technology.

Of course, it was not overwhelming support.

Um, but I think they recognize those that live in the areas where shot spotter exists, they're seeing a reduction in um gunfire uh in gunshots and and people are feeling safer.

But I think they recognize those that live in the areas where shot spotter exists, they're seeing a reduction in gunfire in gunshots, and people are feeling safer.

That's what they're sharing with us.

And so I appreciate the information that you all have shared with us today.

I know a lot of people have been asking more for data.

And I'm not certain how you pull together data that suffices, right?

You can have several gunshots that happen in any particular area, you respond to it, and you don't see anything.

People are looking for the response, the response time.

What happened if you found someone who was injured?

You know, it just kind of runs the gamut.

So I'm not sure the data that folks are looking for, and perhaps that's something that we can hone in on so that if this moves forward and as you look to identify other technology or something to replace this, um, that we have expectations of the tools that we're putting in place.

Um, that I don't know if it's to reduce gun violence or to reduce gunshots in any particular area.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Mr.

Chair, but just may respond.

So absolutely.

Uh, and as Director Brent uh has committed to uh now yourself as well as council member McCampbell, um, those metrics.

Um, we have not captured them there.

And by by and large, because we do not gauge our success as a police agency as how many Detroiters we lock up, how many that are criminally charged?

What we take our pride in is on the crimes that did not happen.

The residents, those that come and visit, that they are not victims.

And that has been the data set that we've gone by.

So to get more granular, we are more than open to that.

Uh the only success that we would probably capture based on arrest is our campaign to get murderers and killers off the street, child molesters, rapists.

Yeah, that is a success, but it still comes with the fact that it happened.

But typically we do not do that just like tickets.

We don't base our our tickets on quotas.

If our officers are successful out when they're out patrolling the city streets.

So to the information that you're looking for, it is not a matter of perception.

Um collusion to hide information.

We just have not historically captured data like that, but we are more than willing.

We are committed to doing that because it's transparency, so that we can help those who may not have an appreciation through understanding whether the neighborhoods that they live in aren't affected where the need for shot spotter is.

But knowing that two things could be true at once, um, we can also take this for those that are asking for it because they are experiencing that as well.

And with that data, we can again use these platforms or or uh these spreadsheets or dashboards uh to get that information.

So that is our commitment to you to this entire body.

Thank you.

We're gonna go next to uh member Miller, followed by Member McCampbell.

Good afternoon, everyone.

Uh, thanks for joining us, the CBI team and the Detroit police officers.

I like to say first, when listening to the stories and hearing the presentations, I often wonder how many people speaking or online or who's been following this story live in Detroit.

Who actually lives in Detroit?

I wonder if how many people actually know someone who's been shot?

How many people know someone who's been killed by gun violence?

How many people have actually attended a funeral of someone killed by gun violence?

Those are the things that resonate with me because I can answer yes to all four of the questions.

I often ask we live in a society that do not call 911.

That's this generation right here right now.

They do not call 911.

No one wants an I want to call to go through and the police arrive at their address because the first thing they see is where's your address, and they pick it up on the transmit where you live to knock on their door to be identified as a witness or a person that's complaining against gun violence.

No one wants to be a witness in court.

So many times people get off because no one would show up for the jury or for the court case.

But then we say, not in my backyard.

We often ask, how do we sleep at night with gunshots?

Growing up in Detroit, mainly in District 3, my entire life.

We go to sleep with gunshots.

We wake up with gunshots.

It is part of the normal life.

You go to Blooming Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Franklin, Nova, you, your children can walk to school without gunshots.

They can go to sleep at night without gunshots.

It's a part of their everyday livelihood.

But as we embark on the 4th of July, this week we will start hearing gunshots 24 7.

And our kids have to become normalized to this way of life.

And I say enough is enough.

We need a deterrent.

And we do not have to accept that gunshots is a normalcy in Detroit, especially on the east side of Detroit.

My colleagues who live in district three and four, I support you.

Because we do not have shot spider in district five.

It's a lot of things that plague your communities that we don't have in district five.

And my colleagues are saying, listen, it's two sided over here for us.

So I can make the best decision that's feasible for us.

And while we spend money on a lot of things that I do not support, we spend money here on some things that are frivolous that are not worthy.

They're not in Michigan.

And this one is no different.

Please do not act like this is something different than what we already do every day out here.

Because the reality is the police department has spoken.

They have a job to do, and I am for every single thing they bring to create a deterrent for crime.

And as we welcome people back to Detroit, we're saying, come to Detroit, make your home here, take raise your family here.

Safety has to be number one.

And when you go out, and if you've never seen the shot spotter on your telephone, I encourage you to see how it operates, how it actually operates, how it swirls around.

It's the sensor, it's not photographic, you're not taking pictures, it's a sensor.

And if everybody knew where they were, they would not exist or they'd be taken down.

So you don't need to know where they are.

But when they pinpoint that location, now we know everything is not accurate 100%.

But please get every single shell casing you can.

Please tie them to something and somebody.

Until you lose a loved one, until you lose a child.

I sat here today holding back tears, holding back tears because I know my two daughters' life is more than two million dollars.

So every life that we save, be it 10, 515 for these nine months.

I'm gonna encourage the police department to get that RFP out.

Let's find a better contract, one closer to home, one less valuable, that we can come back to our residence and say, like everything else with the police department, the fire department, everyone that outsourced work in the city of Detroit that I do not agree with.

We're actually trying to bring it to home.

We're trying to promote safety.

As far as I see BI groups, everyone is not out at one o'clock in the morning, 3 a.m.

in the morning when the shots are going out.

That's not just realistic.

We can put the money in CBI, but are they out at 3 a.m.

all the time?

24-7, are they with their families and home in the bed?

We're talking about shots that go out normally after 10 a.m.

Now, while the police department has been defective, even with the uh block parties, Airbnb parties, they changed their shifts from 7 p.m.

to 7 a.m.

last summer, and they're running new trials to try to keep us safe.

This is what they do.

They created those who don't know, they had the block party Airbnb task force, 7 p.m.

to 7 a.m.

People change their whole shifts just to accommodate this.

So I know you're effectively working to accommodate those areas that are plagued by gun violence.

And I want those people that shoot guns just for pleasure, just because of the holiday to know that we're coming for you.

We don't want you to be at peace or confident that you can actually just shoot a gun.

We want you to know that when you pull that weapon out and it's not for self-defense, that we're looking to catch you because too many bodies are laying in the street.

I rode down Kircherville a few months back, and there was a dead body laying in the middle of the street.

Literally laying in the street for a couple hours.

I drove back by it three times, and the body was still there.

Families never came to pick it up.

They never got a call, but the body was there for our children to see laying in the street because nobody called the police or the EMS to grab that soul that was laying there.

This is what our kids see on the east side of Detroit.

This is what they see.

Bodies land in the street all the time.

People running from gunshots, shot, they fall down in the alleys, they found out, they fall out in between the houses, and nobody even knows they're there because they're running.

They're running for security.

And they collapse.

Let's be real and conscious about what really goes on in Detroit.

This is Detroit.

This is Detroit.

People either windows down, want to know why their laptop was stolen.

You try.

People either back door open in their garage doors open.

I'm here in this in Detroit.

You're in Detroit.

It's not Mr.

True where we are.

So because we're in the trait, we have to act like it.

And we have to put up defenses and mechanisms to write people safe.

And to continue to move forward to bring safety home in Detroit.

And I can I commend you for continuing to bring down the crime rate.

I know we're escalating a little bit right now, but for the most part, in the last five years, I have been amazed at how the numbers have come down.

That's the real facts.

That's the data we're talking about.

So I do support shot spotting.

And it was a hard decision for me.

We told over it.

And to see it in an officer's hand, who randomly lived next door to a family member.

He was off work and he had it.

And I said, What is what is your phone doing?

I couldn't believe what I saw.

And it was an amazing piece of equipment.

Yes, it's expensive.

And it's for nine months.

So you guys, if you if you succeed today, take those nine months and do something quickly and fast that we can come back to our residents and say we found a better program, one closer to home and one less expensive.

Thank you to the chair.

Member McCamp.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I'll keep it quick.

Um, for my colleague um member Miller.

Unfortunately, I can answer yes to all of those questions multiple times.

Um, which is why I'm so passionate about us finding the solution to actually prevent this, um, to prevent gun violence across the city.

Um, I want to talk, I have a few questions.

Um, and I'm I am very glad that the seven-year-old boy is alive today, and and that help help was able to get rendered there.

I have a question on the situation.

It's my understanding that at least one of the locations that was involved that there has been police calls about those locations in the past.

Is that correct?

Through the chair, uh, I would need to look at the the call history uh to to give you an uh an intelligent answer.

I'm not sure.

That'll be good to know.

Um, because you know, I've heard from community residents and leaders in that area that they have had calls on that.

Um, and that gets to my point of what we have talked about preventive measures.

It is absolutely great that we were able to get help in the area that the call may not have come through, but we're having a conversation about how to prevent this from happening in the first place, and we actually had community members engaged to say they're calling because they sense something may happen or something has happened.

That's what I actually want to get to of how do we actually ensure that we're being responsive to those concerns, right?

And the other thing I would bring up here as we do talk about the change behavior of folks not calling 911.

Shaw Spider won't solve that, and we've actually seen that with again.

No, I don't understand this whole thing about data, this this defense of data.

We have seen those rates go up around who doesn't call the police in the areas of Shah Spider.

So what I'm saying here today is that what we have in front of us for me is not solving the issues that we all have in front of us of preventing gun violence and for preventing harm.

The other thing um I want to bring up just so I'm clear.

Um, director Brent, you mentioned Kayvon Taylor downtown T Bon.

My apologies, Travon to the Clark.

Gotcha, Tavon Clark.

My apologies.

Um, on downtown.

Were you saying the shop spot or was it the shot stoppers?

Because it's problems.

Because we don't have problems.

So do we have we have shot spotter downtown?

Through through the chair.

Uh the it was to shock stoppers.

Uh, but uh evidence by the collaboration between DPD uh and CBI uh on a unified response was the correlation between how we work together to drive gun violence.

But there is no uh shot uh spotter technology in the downtown area.

Okay, I just thought I just want to clarification on that.

All right, so thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

If if I may uh just uh to address two questions, uh both of your statements.

Uh Councilmember McCampbell, I would push back a little bit as it relates to the calls uh in that area.

Um as council president mentioned that space is being reprogrammed.

Um it's a it's an area uh again that has nothing that that's not a police issue in the sense that if we really want to get there, we need to build homes.

We need to get families in their environmental design, add increased lighting.

We can't be everywhere, although we try, and in the areas we're not we lean on technology like this to get us there.

So we work with all city departments and we work has been done already uh since that uh again to increase lighting uh with the mayor's office and some other things, but we cannot police our way out of everything.

So uh we are committed to working with others to minimize the opportunities and the locations uh for that to uh happen again uh or or in the future.

Through you, Mr.

Chair.

I'll just I completely agree.

I know you all can't be everywhere.

I'm just saying when we're having residents to make those calls as we're thinking about where resources are going and such on the preventive side of whether it is, and I know that work is ongoing, but that is why I'm saying of like it's an all-encompass and all around type of approach there.

So as we have in those engaged residents, um, if it's not a police response, what do we do there further to have a city response to make sure that we can because we know a major factor in preventing gun violence and harm period are issues that you brought up as well.

So that's what we understand on that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Member Santiago Renew.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I uh will just like to thank DPD for your work with CDI, wanting to make sure that we continue to support that and in our partnership to do things differently.

I will continue to push us to do so.

Um Frankly this really is uh there was a question of does this help with cases.

Um I see this as an investigative tool.

That is fine.

I do not see this as preventing crime from happening and will encourage and will continue to push that we invest in community first.

But with that, Mr.

President, motion to approve.

There's a motion to approve line item 20.9, colleagues.

Objection, member Santiago Romero.

Are there any objections?

Objection, member Santiago Romero.

Objection, McCampbell.

Objection, President T.

Objection Waters, Madam Clerk.

Five years and motion passes, Mr.

President.

All right, the motion to stand approved.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Right.

Um now go to the budget finance and offstanding committee from the Office of Contracting and Security Council Member McCampbell, three resolutions.

Noting that line items 17.1 through 17.3 were reported out of committee without recommendation.

Uh member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Motion to approve the discussion.

So motion to approve line items 17.1 through 17.3 with discussion.

Member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Just want to uh as mentioned by Madam Clerk, this was reported out by uh without recommendation.

Um we had a lot of conversation at the committee level on um ensuring that this that there were Detroiters employed at these uh vendors and also um just you know these are large contracts, so trying to make sure we're doing as much as we can to keep these funds in the city of Detroit and with city residents.

I know that uh Office of Contract and Procurement has sent over um supplemental information to members um on this, but just wanted to give like to the discussion and committee.

Colleagues, any further?

17.1 through 17.3, Mr.

Chair.

Uh sorry to hear some more.

Oh member Caleb.

Um thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I will be um uh making a motion to postpone these for a week.

I have um lots of questions.

Um this is city funding.

Um, and um going to Fraser um and um Lavonia, and I always will continue to advocate that um not just grant dollars but city um dollars stay in the city, they don't stay in the city.

Um I don't know what we get from Lavonia.

I don't know if Lavonia gives the city any contracts.

We're always, and I've been saying this since I've been on the council.

We are um um in the habit of making sure other municipalities um make their living off of this city, and we can we get nothing in return.

We and some of these products can very well go to um some Detroit-based companies, but we always seem like we have to share it with the suburbs, and I don't believe that we have to.

I believe 100% of the supplies can come through a Detroit-based company.

And Lebonia, we don't have any contracts out there.

They have contracts here.

It should be a reciprocal relationship, but that's not the case.

And I know darn well Fraser doesn't have um, doesn't give us any business.

We give them the business, and that's how they're able to survive.

So I um I am going to motion after the discussion, Mr.

Chair, to bring these contracts um back in a week.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

None is there a motion.

Is there a motion?

Motion to bring these line items back in a week, sir.

Line items 17.1, 17.2, and 17.3.

Callaway.

My colleagues has a motion to postpone line items 17.1 through 17.3 for one week.

Are there any objections?

See none, that action shall be taken.

Uh, from the office of the chief financial officer, office of budget.

Council member McCampbell, three resolutions, noting that line item 17.4 was reported out of committee with our recommendation.

Uh line item 17.4, member McCampbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

These are all various um ARPA budget transfers and 17.4 is related to Lee Plaza motion to approve.

So motion to approve line item 17.4.