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Civil Liberties

Catch J.D. Tuccille Discussing the NYPD's Pre-Crime Youth Tracking on RT

J.D. Tuccille | 3.5.2013 7:19 PM

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The New York City Police Department has developed a novel approach, identifying kids it sees as potential troublemakers and then essentally stalking them, bunny boiler-style. The cops show up at their doors, hail them when they're with their friends in the street, follow them on Facebook and Twitter through fake profiles, create dossiers on them and stop just short of actually stealing an undershirt to keep under the pillow. I hope.

As the New York Times reports:

"We are coming to find you and monitor every step you take," said Joanne Jaffe, the department's Housing Bureau chief. "And we are going to learn about every bad friend you have. And you're going to get alienated from those friends because we are going to be all over you."

I'll admit to finding this a less than convincing means of deterring a teenager from a killing rage. And I'm willing to bet they hired an old girlfriend of mine as a consultant. Although the idea of getting out of the patrol car and saying "hello" to the folks on the street has merit.

Anyway, check me out below to see what I had to say on the matter.

The Rattler is a weekly newsletter from J.D. Tuccille. If you care about government overreach and tangible threats to everyday liberty, this is for you.

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NEXT: Student Says School Wouldn't Let Her Partake in Anti-Bullying Activism

J.D. Tuccille is a contributing editor at Reason.

Civil LibertiesPoliceYoung PeopleCrime
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