The adoption of policing technologies must be guided by democratic legitimacy and an imperative to minimize harm.

Technological innovations have the potential to make our society safer, yet there is also legitimate concern around issues such as invasions of privacy, inaccuracy, and perpetuation of racial bias. Governments and policing agencies themselves are struggling with how to evaluate and regulate new technology products. As a result, much of the conversation around policing tech is framed as a stark choice between embracing or outright banning.

At the Policing Project, we believe a better approach is to figure out if and how society can benefit from a particular technology while eliminating or minimizing any harm. Guided by our Evaluative Framework, we advocate for the responsible use of technology along three dimensions: legal, ethical, and democratically accountable:

Legal: Does the technology violate constitutional and other legal principles, such as free exercise of First Amendment liberties, equal protection of the law, and other rights guaranteed by law?

Ethical: Can the technology be designed and operated in ways that minimize social harms, including overcriminalization and threats to privacy and autonomy?

Democratically accountable: Has the policing agency been transparent about its use of the technology? Were communities consulted before the technology was adopted? In partnership with communities, police, government officials, and private companies, we are working to promote a more responsible and democratic conversation around policing tech–one that results in concentrate changes and more protection for all.