Senators Demand Halt to DoJ Funding for Predictive Policing

Concerns raised over discriminatory impact and accuracy of predictive policing systems.

Seven Democratic members of Congress have issued a public letter demanding the Department of Justice stop issuing grants to fund predictive policing projects, unless the agency can ensure that grant recipients will not use such systems in ways that have a discriminatory impact.
Predictive policing systems rely on historical data distorted by falsified crime reports and disproportionate arrests of people of color, leading to over-predicting crime rates in Black and Latino neighborhoods while under-predicting crime in white neighborhoods.
An investigation into a predictive policing algorithm developed by Geolitica found that less than one percent of its predictions aligned with a crime later reported to police.
The senators' letter urged the DoJ to conduct its own analysis of the accuracy and biases of predictive policing systems, as well as include recommendations for ways this type of technology can be used to enhance public safety without having discriminatory impacts.
The senators requested a response to their letter from the DoJ by March 1.