4 ms·

More concerning is their asking for police powers and the ability to use the surveillance data they collect for sentencing: > The book mentions both the data-c

More concerning is their asking for police powers and the ability to use the surveillance data they collect for sentencing: > The book mentions both the data-collection opportunities for police forces (Sidewalk notes it would ask for local policing powers similar to those granted to universities) and the possibility of “an alternative approach to jail,” using data from so-called “root-cause assessment tools.” This would guide officials in determining a response when someone is arrested, such as sending someone to a substance abuse centre.

drusepth 6y ago
It depends on the local laws. Some states in the US give university police the same powers invested in "real" police officers, but many limit enforcement to ticketing, monitoring, and/or detainment until the "real" police arrive. I don't know what the local law is in Toronto, but this seems relevant. Using data-driven approaches to assess "root causes" and improve the (flawed) court system and the (flawed) justice system sounds like a good idea. Sending someone to a substance abuse center (or other rehabilitative vector) instead of jail sounds like a massive improvement over the typical one-size-fits-all jail "solution" to crime.
- HarryHirsch 6y ago
  Traditionally, laws are made through the political process, like this the public gets input and oversight (at least in theory). To hand these power over to a corporation whose only purpose it money-making and whose duties are to the shareholders and thinking that that's a good idea is worrying.
  - cryptonector 6y ago
    That's a funny way to spell 'horrifying'.
- nradov 6y ago
  In the US, public universities often have their own police departments with sworn peace officers who are as real as any other police. Private schools only have security guards and call in local police for anything important.
  - unishark 6y ago
    In what sense are police at private schools not actual police? Every private school I have been involved with has their own uniformed police agency, literally calling itself "police". They just limit the things they focus on. Here's an example for Yale police: "The Yale Police Department is a fully sworn police agency that receives its police powers through the City of New Haven. Created in 1894, it was the first campus-based police department in the country, and has continued to serve as a model for other campus police operations. The police force currently has about 55 officers represented by the YPBA and about 15 supervisory officers. " https://provost.yale.edu/title-ix/faq/why-aren-t-all-cases-sexual-misconduct-turned-over-police https://provost.yale.edu/title-ix/faq/why-aren-t-all-cases-s...
    - nradov 6y ago
      I was unaware of the Yale situation. That's rather rare among private schools.
jariel 6y ago
This would be a chance for Google Corporate HR to force their version of cultural values on you. Any deviance from the Google Corporate Values Policy would be a crime, of course.

drusepth 6y ago

It depends on the local laws. Some states in the US give university police the same powers invested in "real" police officers, but many limit enforcement to ticketing, monitoring, and/or detainment until the "real" police arrive. I don't know what the local law is in Toronto, but this seems relevant. Using data-driven approaches to assess "root causes" and improve the (flawed) court system and the (flawed) justice system sounds like a good idea. Sending someone to a substance abuse center (or other rehabilitative vector) instead of jail sounds like a massive improvement over the typical one-size-fits-all jail "solution" to crime.

HarryHirsch 6y ago
Traditionally, laws are made through the political process, like this the public gets input and oversight (at least in theory). To hand these power over to a corporation whose only purpose it money-making and whose duties are to the shareholders and thinking that that's a good idea is worrying.
- cryptonector 6y ago
  That's a funny way to spell 'horrifying'.
nradov 6y ago
In the US, public universities often have their own police departments with sworn peace officers who are as real as any other police. Private schools only have security guards and call in local police for anything important.
- unishark 6y ago
  In what sense are police at private schools not actual police? Every private school I have been involved with has their own uniformed police agency, literally calling itself "police". They just limit the things they focus on. Here's an example for Yale police: "The Yale Police Department is a fully sworn police agency that receives its police powers through the City of New Haven. Created in 1894, it was the first campus-based police department in the country, and has continued to serve as a model for other campus police operations. The police force currently has about 55 officers represented by the YPBA and about 15 supervisory officers. " https://provost.yale.edu/title-ix/faq/why-aren-t-all-cases-sexual-misconduct-turned-over-police https://provost.yale.edu/title-ix/faq/why-aren-t-all-cases-s...
  - nradov 6y ago
    I was unaware of the Yale situation. That's rather rare among private schools.

jariel 6y ago

This would be a chance for Google Corporate HR to force their version of cultural values on you. Any deviance from the Google Corporate Values Policy would be a crime, of course.