3 ms·
Given the lack of restraint common in policing (at least in the US), I don't think we want to start giving police probabilistic estimates that will direct them
by citrablue 8y ago
Given the lack of restraint common in policing (at least in the US), I don't think we want to start giving police probabilistic estimates that will direct them to categorize people as criminals. Even to look at them more closely, given that fatal SWAT raids are caused by prank phone calls. Imagine the impact of "well, the system told me he was 94% likely to be a criminal" turning into another excuse for these awful raids.
The false positive rate on fingerprints and the lack of understanding in DNA statistics further indicate that the enforcement/legal system has a very poor understanding of even basic statistics.