Predictive policing makes Robert McDaniel criminal target

A Black Chicago resident was deemed a likely criminal by a predictive policing system, resulting in his harrassment and social ostracism. Chicago resident Robert McDaniel was a ssessed by a predictive policing system as likely to be involved in a future shooting - as a perpetrator, or as a victim, or both - o n the basis of his physical proximity to and relationships with known shooters and shooting casualties. McDaniel was then placed on the city's 'heat list' (later renamed 'Strategic Subject List' or 'SSL'), a database of people identified as potential shooters or shooting victims. McDaniel was monitored by the police and other relevant authorities , d espite the police having little idea what to do with individuals on the list, according to an influential research study. However, McDaniel had never been involved in a shooting before or caught in any violent even t and, as a result of his assessment, was constantly surveiled by the police, ostracised by his community and was shot twice. The Chicago Police Department system used a n algorithm developed by Illinois Institute of Technology Professor Miles Wernick that generated a rank-ordered list of individuals deemed most likely to be involved in a homicide or non-fatal shooting. The system drew on data points, including criminal records and arrest history, social network analysis, gang affiliations,victim history, age at most recent arrest and trends in criminal activity. The exact details of the algorithm and all its inputs have never been made public, with proprietary technology and trade secrecy cited as the reason for non-disclosure. ➕ November 2019. Under increasing pressure from civil and digital rights advocates and scrutiny from the media and lawmakers, the City of Chicago terminated its heat list programme. Predictive policing Predictive policing is the usage of mathematics, predictive analytics , and other analytical techniques in law enforcement to identify potential criminal activity. Source: Wikipedia 🔗 System 🤖 Strategic Subject List Operator: Chicago Police Department Developer: Chicago Police Department; Illinois Institute of Technology Country: USA Sector: Govt - police Purpose: Predict criminals and victims Technology: Predictive analytics Issue: Accountability; Accuracy/reliability; Bias/discrimination; Transparency Legal, regulatory 👩🏼‍⚖️ Robert McDaniel arrest history

Date it happened

2014-01-01

Organisation involved

Chicago Police Department

Product, system or model

Heat List/Strategic Subject List

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.