Rep. Ritchie TorresFeb 6, 2023

BIG NEWS: #TyreNichols’ murder reminds us that #police traffic stops can turn deadly. 400 unarmed drivers killed in 5 years.

I'm introducing the "Safer Traffic Stops Act". It would pay local governments to transfer traffic enforcement from armed police officers to cameras or civilians.

Show threadMichaelFeb 6, 2023
@RitchieTorres That won't help, because armed drug dealers will still be found by civilians - and may still turn deadly.
Show threadthe_ray_archieFeb 6, 2023

@alpha1beta @RitchieTorres I'm not sure what those drug dealers would do to the cameras.

If we can eliminate toll booth jobs, I'm pretty sure we can automate speeding tickets.

Show threadMichaelFeb 6, 2023

@the_ray_archie valid point, although that would probably hurt society more as a whole, depending on how sensitive the system is and every red light camera I know of is pay it and plead guilty or risk getting points for fighting it. In my state its unconstitutional and unless you had 100% coverage, you'd mostly just get people who slow down at certain points and speed back up, doing no real good.

But there's plenty of things you can get pulled over for that can't be automated - DUI etc.

Show threadthe_ray_archieFeb 7, 2023
@alpha1beta great point. If there were more cameras in low income neighborhoods than affluent neighborhoods, we would extend the problem in other ways. BUT - is that a reasonable attempt to lower the fatalities? We still will have saved 400 lives.... iterative change might be the best way to solve things
Show threadMichael
@the_ray_archie IMO, the best hope would be something like AI. If a series of cameras could detect erratic driving and send an officer to intercept, you could hit the worst problems while minimizing collateral damage. You could prioritize cameras for high traffic areas like highways over local roads too or in business districts with lots of bars, but there's other solutions like in car breathalyzers being used more and better treatment for alcoholism.
Feb 7, 2023 at 2:23amWeb
Show threadthe_ray_archieFeb 7, 2023

@alpha1beta Honestly, we have more than enough technology to detect this behavior. There's a possible privacy issue if a cat is always flagged but... watching over a certain distance def seems possible. Hmmmm. This also addresses the subjective issues mentioned earlier.

In addition to cameras, we already have mics that detect shots. They could easily be used to detect tire screeching

Show threadMichaelFeb 7, 2023

@the_ray_archie Completely agree - but it should be from both ends. Use tech to target bad cops and the worst drivers. But privacy and data retention need to be considered too.

ShotSpotter seems like it's a bit of a fraud. AP had a recent company doc showing its often humans, not AI and they're pushed to find things to be gunshots when they're unsure. https://apnews.com/article/shotspotter-artificial-intelligence-investigation-9cb47bbfb565dc3ef110f92ac7f83862

Confidential document reveals key human role in gunshot tech

CHICAGO (AP) — In more than 140 cities across the United States, ShotSpotter’s artificial intelligence algorithm and intricate network of microphones evaluate hundreds of thousands of sounds a year to determine if they are gunfire, generating data now being used in criminal cases nationwide.

Associated Press
Show threadthe_ray_archieFeb 7, 2023

@alpha1beta I think they opened the API to apps. In NYC, a lot of the data is coming from apps like CitizenApp.

The privacy issue on this is the problem. Ring opening up data to police comes to mind.