For Immediate Release
S.T.O.P. Calls For ShotSpotter Moratorium After Evidence Tampering Allegations
(New York, NY, 7/26/2021) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, called for a nationwide moratorium on ShotSpotter gunshot detection software after evidence tampering allegations were reported earlier today. According to court filings first reported by Vice, a Chicago-area man alleged that ShotSpotter repeatedly changed the records generated in his case, including manually changing the alleged location of a gunshot months after the sound was recorded.
SEE: VICE - Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj8xbq/police-are-telling-shotspotter-to-alter-evidence-from-gunshot-detecting-ai
Michael Williams Motion to Exclude ShotSpotter Evidence
https://pdfhost.io/v/RmCGSdFdT_Williams_Frye_motion.pdf
“If ShotSpotter altered evidence, they should be prosecuted, not get multi-million-dollar contracts,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We’ve long warned elected officials that ShotSpotter is error-prone, invasive, and a waste of money. But if employees are fabricating evidence, that’s a crime. Even before this latest revelation, we knew that ShotSpotter was putting Black and Latinx communities at risk, turning the sound of fireworks into reports of ‘active shooters.’ At a minimum, cities need to press pause on this dangerous technology before another child is gunned down for forced to defend themselves against fake evidence.”
Last week, the civil rights group sent a letter to the San Diego City Council, urging lawmakers to deny the San Diego Police Department’s request for more than a million dollars to expand ShotSpotter. The group noted ShotSpotter’s reported role in the death of Adam Toledo, the 13-year-old child who was killed by officers responding to a ShotSpotter notification.
SEE: S.T.O.P. July 22nd Letter to San Diego City Council Opposing ShotSpotter
https://www.stopspying.org/s/2021-7-22-Cahn-Letter-Opposing-ShotSpotter.pdf
The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.
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