Gunshot-detecting technology is operational again in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after city councilors voted earlier this month to reactivate it for 90 days.

A Cambridge Police spokesperson confirmed that ShotSpotter was reactivated for the Emergency Communications Center late Friday and for the police department on Monday morning. The system is now operational across all previously covered areas of the city.

The Cambridge City Council had agreed on Aug. 3 to turn the technology back on temporarily while a resident assembly makes an official recommendation. Police said at the time they would begin working with the vendor to restore the system, noting that bringing the technology back online involved several technical and operational steps.

The Cambridge City Council voted Monday for the gunshot detection technology to be reactivated temporarily.

The city's reversal came months after its May 18 decision to end its use of ShotSpotter, which drew criticism following the shooting death of city employee Xavier Bautista on July 4.

ShotSpotter provider SoundThinking Inc. released a statement following the vote, saying they appreciated the Cambridge City Council's decision and that their thoughts remain first and foremost with Bautista's family, friends and colleagues.

"While no technology can prevent every act of violence, ShotSpotter is designed to help ensure that when gunfire occurs—especially in the many cases where no one calls 911—first responders receive immediate, precise information so they can reach victims faster, render aid, and begin an investigation without delay," SoundThinking said in its statement at the time. "We remain committed to working with the City of Cambridge and its residents to support thoughtful, evidence-based public safety solutions that respect privacy and civil liberties."

The community has questioned whether the ShotSpotter detection system could have helped speed up the response to Bautista's shooting.

ShotSpotter has generated a range of emotions, though, and there's been no permanent agreement reached at this time.

"ShotSpotter is a purely responsive technology that does nothing to prevent gun violence," one resident said earlier this month.

Joanna Jimenez lost her son in 2025 to gun violence in Cambridge. She's not sure if ShotSpotter would have made a difference, but she told the city council they should support technology if it has a chance of helping save lives.

"It was created for one purpose: To help law enforcement respond more quickly to gunfire and potentially save lives," Jimenez said in her public comments.

Xavier Bautista, a 32-year-old Cambridge Department of Public Works employee, was found dead about an hour after being shot this weekend.

Gideon Epstein, Technology for Liberty policy counsel at the ACLU of Massachusetts, also addressed the council and wrote in a statement, "We share the desire of all Cambridge residents to increase safety and reduce violence — and research overwhelmingly indicates that ShotSpotter will not help the city achieve these goals. Acoustic gunshot detection is ineffective, unreliable, and carries serious safety and privacy risks. This is why several U.S. cities have abandoned ShotSpotter, and why Cambridge should not reactivate its contract. Instead of placing its hope in faulty surveillance technology, Cambridge should redouble its investments in community programs that uplift people and address the root causes of violence."

Cambridge police had been using ShotSpotter for a decade when city councilors voted in May to deactivate the system. The death of Bautista — who was found by someone walking by about an hour after the shooting — put a lot of pressure on elected leaders to revisit the decision after hosting a community meeting following the murder.

"As long as we put the neighborhood first, and that's all I've ever been asking," said City Councilor Denise Simmons.

"The question for us is, 'How do we balance the usefulness of technology with the very valid concerns around privacy and surveillance?'" said City Councilor Marc McGovern.

Officials believe Xavier Bautista was shot shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday. A pedestrian called 911 after discovering his body around 5:30 a.m.

The city voted 6-3 to turn ShotSpotter back on for at least 90 days while they form a resident or civic assembly — which would be a cross-section of residents from different backgrounds, incomes and areas of the city — to learn about the technology and make an actionable recommendation.

"To have a civic assembly is a newer idea, and I think it's a great idea to be able to let the residents who are actually impacted by gun violence," said Pauline Wells, acting commissioner of the Cambridge Police Department.