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Thursday, November 10, 2016

PredPol: Predictive Policing Software Purchased by City of Mesa

Over the next three years, Mesa will spend nearly $200,000 to implement a state-of-the-art crime-predicting software. WochitData-Driven Policing Still Problematic
Now Being Used By Government Agencies For Revenue Generation
Source >> TechDirt
Data, even lots of it, can be useful. But it also leads to erroneous conclusions and questionable correlations.
Ever been baffled by the content of a "targeted" ad? Just imagine the fun you'll have when "lol 'targeted' ad" is replaced with nearly-incessant "interactions" with law enforcement
Back on August 21st your MesaZona blogger uploaded three posts about this software purchase that was approved by the Mesa City Council ... those ignored issues are here now.

When even the companies gathering the data are concerned about the implications, there's a problem. (One issue being: why don't they stop?) Anything that can be obtained (preferably in bulk) without a warrant will be. And it gets funneled into predictive policing software that attempts to mold disparate info into a usable whole. Lost in the shuffle are the individuals now represented by data points and algorithms. A data point located in the "wrong" neighborhood could result in surveillance backed by nothing resembling reasonable, articulable suspicion.
It's not all bad, though. There are uses for aggregate data that don't create privacy concerns or fears of ever more biased policing . . .
On the other hand, the desire to obtain any data available without a warrant is resulting in some very twisted uses of third-party records. . .
Maria Polletta posted this article in the Arizona Republic on October 21, 2016 - two months after the Mesa City Council approved contracts, addressing lingering issues that few people are aware of . . . Over the next three years, Mesa will spend nearly $200,000 to implement PredPol crime-predicting software with councilmembers little informed about it.

Can new Mesa police tool prevent crime from happening?
In August, a Mesa staff report asserted PredPol's hot-spot-generation tool would "support the city’s efforts to suppress, deter and reduce crime."
The department still is working to determine when it will begin using the software; how many officers it will train to use it; and what, if any, any tools or strategies it will use to measure PredPol's effectiveness, police spokesman Nik Rasheta said.
...Mesa Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh, a longtime advocate of innovation and experimentation in public safety, called predictive policing "one of the best practices recommended for departments to consider," despite its potential limitations.

The city council also approved in later meetings license plate reader software, cautions that were expressed not here in Mesa
Documents Show Chicago PD Secretly Using Forfeiture Funds To Buy Surveillance Equipment
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161008/12004935747/documents-show-chicago-pd-secretly-using-forfeiture-funds-to-buy-surveillance-equipment.shtml
Payments to cellphone forensics companies like CellBrite were uncovered, as were purchases of a license plate reader installed near the CPD's infamous Homan Square ~~detention center~~ black site, and $417,000-worth of cell tower spoofers.

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Our Veterans Deserve a Place to Call Home

Published on Nov 9, 2016
Views: 27
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we are sharing the story of Gerald Hurt, a formerly homeless veteran who recently moved into a new supportive housing community in Danville, Illinois. Together with the National Equity Fund and Bring them HOMES, LISC is working to make sure every veteran has the home he or she needs.

Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things | Stephanie Jirard | TEDxHarrisburg

Published on Nov 9, 2016
Views:1,782
Jirard's talk, "Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things," traces the historical arc of social change made possible by everyday people and gives three suggestions for generating courage when speaking out on the issues of race, gender, and sexual identity. Stephanie Jirard is a former Navy Judge Advocate, trial lawyer at the US Department of Justice, and death-penalty defense lawyer for the state of Missouri. She now teaches criminal justice at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx