Chicago startup tests phone-based gunshot alerts in two city wards

Chicago-based SplitSec, launched in 2025, is conducting free trials of a gunshot-detection app that leverages the microphones and AI capabilities of Android phones. The pilot is active in the city’s 21st and 42nd wards, with plans to expand to additional neighborhoods. Founder and CEO Sri Deivasigamani says the app alerts users to nearby gunfire and asks them to confirm the sound, creating a community-driven warning network that can also pinpoint shooter locations when several users report the same event.

Early testing showed instances on July 27 and 28 where participants heard gunshots that the app flagged, though SplitSec could not independently confirm the shots. Users have noted occasional false positives and increased battery drain, issues the company is addressing. Unlike the former city-wide fixed-sensor system from SoundThinking, SplitSec’s approach does not currently feed alerts to the Chicago Police Department, but could share anonymized maps with law-enforcement or the Office of Emergency Management and Communications if partnered. Privacy safeguards keep audio analysis on the device, sending clips only when users opt to report a false alarm.