Is the LAPD Spying on you?

The Los Angeles Police Department has been using technology to tell patrol officers where crime is most likely to occur and also to identify and keep track of ex-convicts and others they believe are most likely to commit crimes. Yes, you read that right; the LAPD is tracking “potential” criminals using a technology dubbed LASER.

The police say the technology has already helped reduce crime in one of Los Angeles’ crime ridden neighborhoods. Captain Ed Prokop, the head of the division that patrol’s Newton said, “This is a tremendous step forward. Without this, I couldn’t do my job.”

How does this technology work? LASER uses data tracking and collection. This is accomplished with the use of license plate scanners, cell phone trackers, etc. and is often done with little public knowledge or regulation. Privacy advocates say LASER is not clearly regulated and it unfairly focuses on ex-convicts even though they have done their time. Kade Crockford of the ACLU says “People who have paid their debts to society shouldn’t remain stigmatized in the eyes of the police.”

LASER is funded by federal grants and launched in Newton in 2011. Since than it has been funded by additional money in October of 2014 and is now used in eight areas through the city. It includes the LAPD’s high-tech analysis unit and it’s helicopters. Over 3,500 LAPD officers have been trained to use Palantir, which is a platform that was initially introduced to speed up the process of creating files on chronic offenders and now is used throughout the department for a variety of investigative purposes. Other government agencies in New York, Nevada, Wisconsin, Texas and even Canada have been briefed on LASER and show an interest in the program.

The nearly $1 million used to fund LASER does not affect the city budgets and as a result there has been little scrutiny of the program. Police say it works and cite a steady drop in homicides in Newton, compared in other areas not using the program. Privacy advocates say those numbers are not enough to determine whether the program has any effect.

It will be interesting to see the public reaction to LASER once the existence of the program becomes more known. Some might say if you have not done anything or don’t plan on committing a crime than you have no reason to worry. While others might say the government should have no right to essentially spy and track it’s own citizens without cause. Only time, and maybe the court system, will determine whether LASER violates Constitutional rights.

At the Law Offices of Arash Hashemi, our team of expert criminal defense lawyers is dedicated to fighting aggressively for our clients’ rights. To schedule a consultation with a lawyer at our firm, call us at (310) 448-1529 or contact us online. Located in Westside Towers in LA, our office is minutes from Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and Westwood and steps away from the Expo/Bundy Station. We have flexible hours and offer weekend appointments, and we will visit you in jail for consultation on your case.

 

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