City of Tacoma Washington sent this bulletin at 10/25/2025 08:45 AM PDT
Dear Tacoma residents,
I continue to receive questions about the use of ShotSpotter in Tacoma and want to share this update on the current status of the City’s contract with SoundThinking for the use of ShotSpotter technology.
Last year, the City announced receiving an $800,000 grant from the United States Department of Justice—Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for the Tacoma Police Department (TPD) to pursue a pilot with ShotSpotter, along with other technologies, to help address gun violence. The Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) grant funding was to be used, in part, to implement and thoroughly evaluate ShotSpotter and its ability to provide immediate identification of gunshots and their exact locations, which is intended to reduce response times and allow for improved investigations.
Recently the City made the decision to end its contract with SoundThinking and is not implementing ShotSpotter. I am grateful to city administrators and our Chief of Police, Patti Jackson, for hearing the concerns I raised on behalf of community members on the use of ShotSpotter technology in Tacoma.
The City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Police Department remain dedicated to addressing gun violence and improving TPD's investigations of violent crimes involving firearms. We take a data-driven approach to our crime prevention efforts and the public can review the data, which is updated every business day, on the Tacoma Police Crime Dashboard. By leading community initiatives like BRAYVE— Building Resilience Against Youth Violence and Exploitation — Tacoma has seen a significant decline in gun-related incidents, with a 66% reduction among youth aged 18 and under since 2023.
Working alongside my City Council colleagues, dedicated City of Tacoma staff, and community members from every neighborhood and Council district, our collaborative work to reduce gun violence is making positive improvements across our city and must continue. I look forward to continue working with you to this end.
