Pasco County Sheriff's 'Intelligence-Led' Predictive Policing Program Harassed 1,000+ Residents Including Minors, Settles Lawsuit
Incident Details
Summary
Under a 'intelligence-led policing' program, the Pasco County, Florida sheriff's department compiled algorithmic lists of residents deemed likely to commit crimes and dispatched deputies to their homes repeatedly. More than 1,000 residents — including minors — were subjected to unannounced police visits and cited for minor infractions like missing mailbox numbers. Four residents sued in 2021; the sheriff's office ultimately settled and admitted it had violated residents' constitutional rights to privacy and equal treatment under the law. The program was discontinued, but became a national case study in how predictive policing AI can be weaponized for systematic harassment of communities.
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