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| | | ShotSpotter: Surveillance or Safety? | In a time when there's a lot of attention on police surveillance with conversations around Flock and other automated license plate reader cameras, the city of Minneapolis is planning to audit its ShotSpotter gunshot locator technology next month. [Spokesman-Recorder / 🎧 City Cast Twin Cities] | - What is ShotSpotter? It's a service that the Minneapolis Police Department purchases from a company called SoundThinking that attempts to alert officers to the location of gunshots using an array of microphones in North and South Minneapolis. If the system detects that a sound could possibly be a gunshot, the audio is reviewed by humans who alert police if they believe the sound in fact may have been a gunshot.
- Does it work? Police say that ShotSpotter helps reduce their response times, and Ward 4 Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw says that her constituents view it as a "proactive measure." An analysis of 911 dispatches in 2022 showed that about 70% of police responses to ShotSpotter activations found no physical evidence of gunshots. Minneapolis is the only municipality in Minnesota that uses ShotSpotter. The city of St. Paul declined to adopt the technology in 2019, with Mayor Melvin Carter calling it a "toy."
- Privacy concerns: Critics argue that the locations of ShotSpotter microphones in Black and Native communities are discriminatory, and that police are more likely to believe they are entering a dangerous situation when responding to a ShotSpotter alert. ShotSpotter microphones also have the ability to pick up voice recordings, and prosecutors have presented these recordings as evidence in court cases in Oakland and Massachusetts.
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| | | Looking for a meaningful way to give back this September? Join Xcel Energy's Day of Service, September 10-12, and support local nonprofits making a difference across Minnesota. Volunteer opportunities include food packing, environmental stewardship, community gardening, and projects that support local families. With events available during both the work week and weekend, it's easy to find a project that fits your schedule. Registration is now open for more than 40 volunteer opportunities, but spots are limited | | Learn more & register today. |
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| What the Cities Are Talking About |
| Big brother: While federal agents were busy detaining folks with no criminal records and misusing crowd control weapons in the Twin Cities this past winter, new documents show that the DHS was also running an expansive spying operation targeting unions, protesters, and left-wing organizations in Minnesota. Called "Operation Puppet Master" and "Operation Whipple Shield," the surveillance programs included collecting financial records and signal chats, sending agents undercover to pose as activists, and using AI facial recognition to compile photo dossiers of protesters. [Minnesota Reformer] | | The Great Minnesota Spend-Together: If you want to save some money at the State Fair this year, get tickets for $3 cheaper by buying in advance until Aug. 26. Consider volunteering to get in for free, going on the first day for discounted tickets, or the last day to take advantage of the Last Chance Deals found on the Brochure Rack. Once you're in, seek out free merch and free concerts – there's a lot of great acts outside the Grand Stand this year. [Star Tribune] | |  | My dog Archie is anxiously waiting to see if Windom Park will have enough funding for an ice rink next year. (Adam Sage / City Cast Twin Cities) |
| Budget woes for parks: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's 2027 budget proposal includes less than half the funding increase sought by the Park and Recreation Board. Several commissioners have called the proposal a "non-starter" that will lead to layoffs, unmaintained parks, and the closure of rec centers. On a recent episode of the podcast, Board of Estimate and Taxation Vice President Eric Harris Bernstein called our parks " one of the most identifiable, universally appreciated public amenities in the city" and said that residents will expect to see a positive return on their rising property taxes. [MinnPost] | | We're a volleyball town: We're getting two new pro sports teams in the Twin Cities – they're women's teams, so they might actually win a championship! The Minnesota Forge will be our pro volleyball team playing in Major League Volleyball at the Grand Casino Arena starting in January 2027. A competing pro volleyball league called League One Volleyball is also bringing a team to the Twin Cities in January. League One Minnesota will be playing at the Maturi Pavilion on the University of Minnesota campus. [MPR News / MSP Business Journal] |
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| | Monday, August 17 | | | Tuesday, August 18 | | | |
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| | | Get ready to have the time of your life! Set against the unforgettable summer of 1963, Dirty Dancing: The Musical follows Frances “Baby” Houseman as she discovers love, passion, and independence, through her relationship with charismatic dance instructor, Johnny Castle. Feel the heat and catch Dirty Dancing: The Musical onstage at the Ordway now through September 6! |
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