Santa Cruz Becomes First US City to Approve Ban on Predictive Policing

June 23, 2020 | by Nicholas Ibarra | Santa Cruz Sentinel

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The use of predictive technology has correlated with some reductions in crime in cities that include Santa Cruz, California. However, even the Santa Cruz police chief said that the data-based technology more often leads to officer conflict with communities rather than collaboration. Critics say its use fosters law enforcement’s disproportionate impact on people of color, masking bias with data-based algorithms. The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously on June 23 to ban predictive policing—along with facial recognition technology—with support from a large coalition of civil liberty and racial justice groups. Read more about the ban, scheduled for final adoption on Aug. 11, here.