Enforcers category archive
Keystone Kops of the Kali Kind 0
Even Mack Sennett could not have made this up.
Disparate Treatment 0
At the San Francisco Chronicle, law professor Samantha Buckingham wonders how Donald Trump’s numerous criminal trials might have gone if he were not protected by his (reputed) wealth.
The Surveillance Society 0
Joanna Pozzulo, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, warns about the increasing use of automated surveilance technology, particularly facial recognition. She points out that, despite the faith that persons put in these machines, they are by no means infallible.
She makes three main points:
- Surveillance cameras are becoming ubiquitous with facial recognition software often present as well.
- The accuracy of facial recognition significantly decreases for women, young adults, and racialized people.
- Mistaken identification can lead to wrongful prosecution and conviction.
Given the proliferation of these technologies, I think her piece is well worth a read.
Fiction Comes Alive 0
And you thought that the Keystone Kops were just something from old movies that your grandparents watched on black and white telly visions.
Nope. They are very real and may be at your doorstep today.
Shotspitter 0
The EFF has long warned of the dangers of certain technologies with which law enforcement seems enamored, such as shotspotter and facial recognition. Here’s a bit from their latest article on the topic:
In a subsequent assessment of the event, the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability (“COPA”) concluded that “a firearm was not used against the officers.” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling placed all attending officers on administrative duty for 30 days and is investigating whether the officers violated department policies.
Follow the link for context.
Facebook Frolics 0
A Tennessee police department found out the hard way that, even though a frolicker posts something stupid and disrespectful and insipid, it ain’t inherently a crime.
We are becoming an uncivil society. And “social” media is accelerating our desce–oh, never mind.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch makes a strong case that Texas Governor Abbott is simply being mean for the sake of mean.
I think a pretty strong case can be made that, if the majority of immigrants at our Southern border were white like me, they’d not be greeted with such hostility.
Freedom of Suppress, Updated 0
Read more from Wichita, Kansas, NPR station KMUW.
Addendum:
And here’s an update from the Kansas City Star.
Presumed Guilty 0
I wonder just why oh why something like this could have happened?
Full-Face and Profiled 0
The EFF reports on a court’s finding about farcical recognition. A snippet (emphasis added):
Follow the link for details.
Different Strokes at Different Folks 0
Eric Foster tells a tale or people, pigment, and perception.
Immunity Impunity
0
I suspect that I am not alone in avoiding watching the video of five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers murdering Tyre Nichols. I can be aware of it without subjecting myself to experiencing it in a (quasi-)first-hand manner.
Commenters routinely point out that both the victim and the perpetrators were black. Some would use this to argue that racism was not a factor, as if to pretend that America’s history of institutionalized and societal racism somehow does not insidiously affect everyone in some way or another.
At Psychology Today Blogs, Kevin Cokley considers this event and its implications. Here’s a short excerpt (emphasis added); the entire piece is worth you while.
(Broken link fixed.)
