Posted on 02/21/2024 8:04:36 AM PST by MtnClimber
The dangers inherent in targeting criminals-to-be have yet to be addressed.
Should data scientists be in the business of fingering Americans for crimes they could commit, someday? Last month, a group of federal lawmakers asked the Department of Justice to stop funding such programs—at least until safeguards can be built in. It's just the latest battle over a controversial field of law enforcement that seeks to peer into the future to fight crime.
"We write to urge you to halt all Department of Justice (DOJ) grants for predictive policing systems until the DOJ can ensure that grant recipients will not use such systems in ways that have a discriminatory impact," reads a January letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D–Ore.) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D–N.Y.), joined by Senators Jeff Merkley (D–Ore.), Alex Padilla, (D–Calif.), Peter Welch (D–Vt.), John Fetterman, (D–Penn.), and Ed Markey (D–Mass.). "Mounting evidence indicates that predictive policing technologies do not reduce crime. Instead, they worsen the unequal treatment of Americans of color by law enforcement."
The letter emphasizes worries about racial discrimination, but it also raises concerns about accuracy and civil liberties that, since day one, have dogged schemes to address crimes that haven't yet occurred.
I am sure we can all agree that this would never be politicized by the left....Or are the democRAT signatories to the letter putting in place “evidence” for campaign purposes to imply that they are opposed and no Republicans were opposed?
Predictive systems shine a spotlight on what groups commit a large percentage of crimes. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could have predicted the politically incorrect results of THAT!
Is that a plausible description of how this intended to be used - towards individuals who have not committed a crime?
We went from 1984 as the instruction book to Minority Report in one year.
From - National Institute of Justice:
Overview of Predictive Policing
What Is Predictive Policing?
Predictive policing tries to harness the power of information, geospatial technologies and evidence-based intervention models to reduce crime and improve public safety. This two-pronged approach — applying advanced analytics to various data sets, in conjunction with intervention models — can move law enforcement from reacting to crimes into the realm of predicting what and where something is likely to happen and deploying resources accordingly.
The predictive policing approach does not replace traditional policing. Instead, it enhances existing approaches such as problem-oriented policing, community policing, intelligence-led policing and hot spot policing.
Predictive policing leverages computer models — such as those used in the business industry to anticipate how market conditions or industry trends will evolve over time — for law enforcement purposes, namely anticipating likely crime events and informing actions to prevent crime. Predictions can focus on variables such as places, people, groups or incidents. Demographic trends, populations of paroled persons and economic conditions may all affect crime rates in particular areas. Using models supported by prior crime and environmental data to inform different kinds of interventions can help police reduce the number of crime incidents.
Predictive Policing: The Role of Crime Forecasting in Law Enforcement Operations. With funding from NIJ, RAND Corporation developed this reference guide for law enforcement agencies interested in predictive policing. The guide assesses the most promising technical tools for making predictions as well as the most promising tactical approaches for acting on predictions.
Learn more and download the report.
“Predictive systems shine a spotlight on what groups commit a large percentage of crimes.”
They did and it does. Years ago, the feds wrote or subcontracted software to identify “problem children” in public schools. Trouble was those kids identified had *already* been identified as troublemakers and had been punished for it, repeatedly.
To make matters worse, the software could be modified at the whims of the administrators, already prejudiced against those who had been offensive in the past.
Bottom line: it didn’t identify “bigoted, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-abortion, radical Catholics, etc.”
Instead, it enhances existing approaches such as problem-oriented policing, community policing, intelligence-led policing and hot spot policing.
Extending that to predicting individuals who have never committed crimes will commit crimes and taking action against them would be very wrong, but is not what it appears to be suggesting.
Shades of “The Minority Report” ... ??
Could it be “predictive policing” is not finding all those white supremacists that are supposedly commuting crimes everywhere do not exist???
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