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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.

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

Civil LibertiesPoliceYoung PeopleCrime
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  1. Fist of Etiquette   14 years ago

    ...follow them on Facebook and Twitter through fake profiles...

    I wonder if they use the same LEO who go online pretending to be 14-year-olds for the ol' Chris Hanson special. I don't know how you can feel good about the work you do there.

    1. Mr. FIFY   14 years ago

      I never watch Hanson's show, but I like the idea of getting kiddy-diddlers locked up good and tight away from the public.

      I'd like it better if they were fed toes-first into wood chippers, but ya takes what ya can gets.

      1. Fist of Etiquette   14 years ago

        It's got to feel creepy acting the role of a middle school student, though. An acquaintance of mine who is a detective was saying things can get unsettling.

  2. Way Of The Crane   14 years ago

    And I'm willing to bet they hired an old girlfriend of mine as a consultant.

    Somehow, I knew that this had to be partially your fault.

  3. Westmiller   14 years ago

    Stalking is illegal for normal human beings, but cops can apparently do it with impunity. Just another case of "special rights" for government agents.

  4. ZinxMinx   14 years ago

    Sounds ilke a big waste of time to me dude.

    http://www.EliteProxy.da.bz

  5. Eduard van Haalen   14 years ago

    Are these teenagers convicted criminals on probation? Is police surveillance one of the probation conditions, which keeps them out of prison? If not, there is a problem.

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