13Investigates | Was Macon-Bibb mayor's ShotSpotter gunshot-detection system decision rushed?

Crews are hard at work setting up a new gunshot detection system in Macon-Bibb County in the hope of having it operational by Feb. 24.

The system, named ShotSpotter, will place acoustic sensors at selected spots around the county to pinpoint gunfire and then alert the sheriff's office to the location.

Last fall, county leaders unanimously agreed to spend nearly $2 million of the county's American Rescue Plan money on ShotSpotter.

Now, there are questions about how well the county researched the deal before buying in.

On Sept. 14, Mayor Lester Miller proposed a $2 million deal with ShotSpotter, discussed it with commission, and pushed to approve the contract. It all happened in one day.

Months later, some commissioners are having second thoughts -- at least about the process.

"I don't think the vote would be the same today," said Commissioner Al Tillman.

"It was certainly put on a fast track, without a doubt," said Sheriff David Davis.

Sheriff Davis agrees it was fast-tracked, but to push Miller's Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) program forward.

"I think we would wind up here either way, whether we waited three months to get it approved and signed off on, or six months or a year. I think we would be here to have this system," said Davis.

To explain how this all happened, we have to go back to the Bibb County commission meeting on Sept. 14 -- the only time the $2 million deal came up in a public setting.

A ShotSpotter representative gave a sales pitch to commissioners; the first time the public could hear from the company, and the only time commissioners could publicly talk about the new technology.

That afternoon, Mayor Miller called a special meeting to vote on the deal. Commissioner Virgil Watkins said then and there it felt rushed.

"I would have loved to have been able to read this prior to the vote, which would have happened on a regular day because it just got sent to us at 12:24 p.m. after we discussed this for the first time," said Watkins. "But we will make our decision on ShotSpotter with none of this information which, again, just seems inappropriate."

Despite reservations, Watkins went ahead and voted "yes." It passed commission unanimously.

After its passage, 13WMAZ raised questions about how much information commissioners got before the vote.

Miller and his aides said they were given information in private meetings and there was plenty of communication.

13WMAZ filed a records request for: documents submitted by ShotSpotter on the contract; any emails between Mayor Miller, his staff and county commissioners; and any independent research done by the mayor's office.

The question was basically, "Did Miller and his staff do any due diligence on ShotSpotter?" After cutting a $400 check, 13WMAZ got 680 pages worth of emails.

Was there due diligence? A county attorney said they don't have any record of research or analysis by Miller's office.

Most of the emails are about organizing a June news conference on the Macon Violence Prevention program, and then Miller and ShotSpotter setting up small private meetings with commissioners.

Miller wrote several times he did not want the meetings getting out in public.

"I think it was well-orchestrated to ensure there was no negatives mentioned during or before our voting process," said Watkins.

"I think it's easy to say, 'Oh, you supported it.' Yeah, I supported it with the information you gave me. It's just like the prosecutor and the defense. Once the prosecutor lays out their case, you're like, 'Wow!' And then all the sudden, here comes the defense with the other side. A lot of times we don't get the other side, or we didn't get the other side when it came to ShotSpotter," said Tillman.

So... what is the other side?

Miller and the commissioners might have seen an Associated Press report on a man who was falsely charged with a crime based on ShotSpotter evidence that was wrong, or they might have read the City of Chicago Inspector General's report that said ShotSpotter alerts rarely led investigators to gun crimes and there was no evidence it helped reduce violent crime.

Perhaps they might have watched last year's 11Alive investigative report that said Atlanta police tested ShotSpotter for a year in 2019 and decided it wasn't worth the money.

All of that information was available long before Sept. 14 to anyone who Googled "ShotSpotter," but the records we got from Macon-Bibb don't show that Miller and his staff checked out that information OR shared it with commissioners NOR did commissioners refer to those issues on Sept. 14 before unanimously approving the deal.

Both commissioners Al Tillman and Virgil Watkins say they did not have time to do their own research, but Watkins says he has concerns now.

"We're only putting it in a few neighborhoods, so those neighborhoods are going to get the cops visiting them [with] that much more frequency. It's kind of a cycle, you look for something, you're going to find something," said Watkins.

"If I had to do it all over again, I would ask and inquire and try to get more information," said Tillman.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Bill Howell said he had plenty of time.

"I, personally, had time to do plenty background check and satisfy myself that this was a good program," said Howell.

13WMAZ reached out to Mayor Miller several times about ShotSpotter -- why the vote was rushed and why he kept the deal under wraps for so long. After no response, we asked at a news conference on Feb. 1.

"I'm not answering those questions today," said Miller, removing his microphone.

Miller responded by email later that day saying they have publicly discussed the technology since June 2021 and that Davis has requested it for several years, but the mayor did not answer any of our questions.