Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Technology: "Crime Suppression Tool's Effectiveness, Legality To Be Tested," WAMC (Reporter Dave Lucas) reports... "The New York State Sheriffs’ Association is now employing a new "Crime Suppression Initiative." Its effectiveness, and legality, is likely going to be tested. CSI uses synthetic forensic technology capable of tagging criminals with an invisible forensic mist of synthesized DNA, composed of shorter chains than human DNA, so police can identify them — even months after a crime was committed. It comes in many forms including water-soluble spray, grease and gel. CSI Select executive Vice President Joe Maltese says Albany County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Albany Police Department are currently undergoing training involving working with the technology. "

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: (TECHNOLOGY):   In recent years, I have found myself publishing more and more posts on the  application of artificial intelligence technology to policing, public safety, and the criminal justice process,  not just in North America, but in countries all over the world, including China. Although I accept that properly applied science  can play a positive role in our society, I have learned over the years that technologies introduced for the so-called public good, can eventually be used against the people they were supposed to  benefit. As reporter Sieeka Khan  writes in Science Times:  "In 2017, researchers sent a letter to the secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security. The researchers expressed their concerns about a proposal to use the AI to determine whether someone who is seeking refuge in the US would become a positive and contributing member of society or if they are likely to become a threat or a terrorist. The other government uses of AI are also being questioned, such as the attempts at setting bail amounts and sentences on criminals, predictive policing and hiring government workers. All of these attempts have been shown to be prone to technical issues and a limit on the data can cause bias on their decisions as they will base it on gender, race or cultural background. Other AI technologies like automated surveillance, facial recognition and mass data collection are raising concerns about privacy, security, accuracy and fairness in a democratic society. As the executive order of Trump demonstrates, there is a massive interest in harnessing AI for its full, positive potential - including massive industrial sales to the law enforcement/criminal justice/defence establishments.  But the dangers of misuse, bias and abuse, whether it is intentional or not, have the chance to work against the principles of international democracies. As the use of artificial intelligence grows, the potential for misuse, bias and abuse grows as well. The purpose of this 'technology' series, is to highlight the dangers of artificial intelligence and other police oriented innovations in technology -  and to help readers make their own assessments as to  whether these innovations will do more harm than good.

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: At first I thought this was a joke. I wondered if I was being had.  Police use a synthetic  forensic technology to tag suspects  with an invisible forensic mist of synthesized DNA, composed of shorter chains than human DNA, so police can identify them — even months after a crime was committed. Sci-Fi? What movie is this is?  Minority Report: (mutants in a vat look into the future.) Well, I no longer am so sure  that this is a joke. It's real. You may have been secretly dabbed already and may never know -  until the long arm of the law finds you and drags you to justice.  Or maybe I am being set up by the very 'fake news' scams I have been warning my readers about. I hope so. Read on!

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

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QUOTE ONE OF THE DAY: "Select executive Vice President Joe Maltese says Albany County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Albany Police Department are currently undergoing training involving working with the technology.   "And while it's newer to the U.S. it is not new. It is tried, tested, proven for a very long time. And many many police agencies in the U.K. and Europe utilize it. And now all we want to do is replicate that and have a very good impact in making the community safer for which the law enforcement officers serve."

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QUOTE TWO OF THE DAY: "Attorney Derrick Hogan with the law firm Tully-Rinckey has some issues with the technology including the possibility of a DNA spray device misfiring or an innocent person at a crime scene being tagged by overspray.    "It is troubling for me, the potential invasion of privacy to put some type of, for lack of a better term, tracking tool on someone, and then, how can we be so sure that's going to have pinpoint accuracy in the future?"

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STORY: "Crime Suppression Tool's Effectiveness, Legality To Be Tested," by reporter Dave Lucas, published by WAMC on January 24, 2020.


GIST:  "The New York State Sheriffs’ Association is now employing a new "Crime Suppression Initiative."  Its effectiveness, and legality, is likely going to be tested. CSI uses synthetic forensic technology capable of tagging criminals with an invisible forensic mist of synthesized DNA, composed of shorter chains than human DNA, so police can identify them — even months after a crime was committed. It comes in many forms including water-soluble spray, grease and gel. CSI Select executive Vice President Joe Maltese says Albany County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Albany Police Department are currently undergoing training involving working with the technology.   "And while it's newer to the U.S. it is not new. It is tried, tested, proven for a very long time. And many many police agencies in the U.K. and Europe utilize it. And now all we want to do is replicate that and have a very good impact in making the community safer for which the law enforcement officers serve." For less than $100 a month, stores can use the technology to protect their inventory. Maltese says criminals exposed to just a touch of the DNA compound could be apprehended weeks or months later.    "No system is impossible to defeat. But first of all the individual needs to know that they've been marked. And number two it's very, very robust. Given a synthetic forensic markers short, short chain structure, they'd have to be able to identify it. All we need is one molecule to be able to analyze this. So that that's the beauty of it." Attorney Derrick Hogan with the law firm Tully-Rinckey has some issues with the technology including the possibility of a DNA spray device misfiring or an innocent person at a crime scene being tagged by overspray.    "It is troubling for me, the potential invasion of privacy to put some type of, for lack of a better term, tracking tool on someone, and then, how can we be so sure that's going to have pinpoint accuracy in the future?" Maltese believes people just knowing it's there – signage pointing out the mere presence of the DNA technology - will markedly reduce the likelihood of crime. As for concerns over civil liberties:  "As long as a defense attorney is notified in writing, to know that the evidence is being analyzed,  that is not an issue and launches I believe 60 days prior to a trial, so we definitely did our homework before we came here, especially with the changes in the in the bail reform law.""

The entire story can be read at:
https://www.wamc.org/post/crime-suppression-tools-effectiveness-legality-be-tested
 
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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