The Peoria City Council has unanimously approved a new three-year contract with ShotSpotter, a gunfire location, alert and analysis service.
The city will spend just north of $300,000 per year for ShotSpotter under the new contract that expands the city’s service area a few blocks to the north of its current footprint.
The Peoria Police Department has been using ShotSpotter technology since 2013 as a tool for detecting the location of shots fired. Police say they are able to respond to gunfire in the community faster and more efficiently using the technology.
Beyond response times, police say in the last two years, they have been able to use ShotSpotter in conjunction with other tools to uncover 500 investigative leads, resulting in more than 60 arrests and 100 weapons recovered.
Cannabis ordinance changes approved
After months of analysis, discussion and opportunities for public input, the Peoria City Council has now unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s cannabis ordinance.
The council held a special meeting recently to discuss the potential changes. Without further discussion this week, the council approved a plan that allows for a maximum of six adult-use cannabis dispensaries within the city limits — with three licenses reserved for social equity applicants. The council also reduced the length of special use permits from two years to six months.
Under the new ordinance, dispensaries will not be permitted in residential areas, including the city’s Warehouse District, and on-site cannabis consumption is prohibited.
Input from two public meetings and an online survey in November of 2022 indicated there was a public desire for allowing on-site cannabis consumption at dispensaries. However, there are currently no municipalities in the state that allow it.
