As the Minneapolis City Council weighs the future of ShotSpotter, the city’s police chief is pushing to expand the technology.

The devices detect the sound of gunfire throughout certain areas of the city, and police say the technology is used daily by officers and dispatchers that helps with investigations.

However, research shows it can mistake loud noises for gunshots, and in some cases, could slow police response time for other emergencies.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told a City Council committee on Monday that ShotSpotter helps MPD locate gunshots faster than a 911 call. He says that means quicker evidence collection, arrests and medical aid.

“This thing is deployed in areas where, historically, where there’s been way too much gun violence, way too much crime,” O’Hara said. “There’s acoustic evidence that the ShotSpotter captures. You can hear gunfire. I can play examples, and certainly some people that live on certain blocks in this town, they can tell you that’s shots fired.”

But several City Council members were not convinced it’s necessarily worth the expense, citing several major cities that have discontinued the use of ShotSpotter because data in those cities, such as Chicago, did not show a decrease in crime.

City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said he needed more information.

“It seems like there are other municipalities that are questioning the efficacy of this, the cost of it, you know, where they can be putting other investments. That makes sense that we would have this conversation as well,” said Ellison.

There’s been some back and forth on the topic since last spring. Social justice groups have called on the council to cancel the program, with some arguing it targets communities of color.

The city is considering expanding ShotSpotter into the Uptown area and the Whittier, Lyn-Lake and Loring Park neighborhoods.

The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee voted 3-2 to delay action on the issue.