Dallas Police Falsely Credit TrapWire System For Arrests

In April, the Texas Department of Public Safety told a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, inspired by information leaked by Wikileaks to ask about ways that the agency might be compromising citizen's privacy and other rights, that the TrapWire behavioral analysis system employed in combination with surveillance equipment posted at various high-profile locations around the state had resulted in 44 arrests. However, after numerous public records requests for more information about those claimed arrests, the agency admitted that the true figure is somewhat lower: namely, zero. The story naturally involves "millions" of dollars (though an exact figure for the zero-arrest system isn't named), and Austin-based Stratfor, a company that's been named a few times here on Slashdot.

Comments

Data collection for other purposes?

[Mostly a lurker]

Apart from the obvious stench of corrupt commercial dealings, we should not forget that data collection by law enforcement has not always been for crime fighting purposes. Recall, for instance, J Edgar Hoover's uses for such data.

Re:Even if it was true, terrible value for money

[rmdingler]

Even if it was true... millions of dollars for ... 44 arrests?

Wonder what the arrest rate of 20 extra pairs of feet on the street is?

Yep, everything's bigger in Texas: the State Police and the police state.

Even if it was true... millions of breaches into the innocent communications of private citizens for... 44 arrests.