On 5 February 2022, police in Portland, Oregon, sent out a bulletin pleading with the public for information about a recent homicide case. Police had found Corey M Eady injured with several gunshot wounds, and the 44-year-old had died shortly after being taken to a hospital. “This is the 11th homicide in Portland this year,” the bulletin read. “All 11 have been by gunfire.”

The next day, Portland police captain James Crooker got a text. “Ready for some help?”

The message, which linked to the bulletin about Eady’s death, was from Teri Greene, a representative of Shotspotter, the nearly 30-year-old gunshot detection company that in recent years has faced intense criticism