Backlash Growing Against Chicago Police Gang Database

CHICAGO, IL — The City of Chicago's Office of the Inspector General held another public hearing Thursday as part of an audit into the city's police gang database. Attorneys, lawmakers and community groups have been questioning the accuracy and transparency of the database, which includes more than 128,000 names. The list — which is shared with other law enforcement agencies — is an algorithm that produces a score based on previous arrests, evidence of gang affiliations and other variables.

The Chicago Police Department said its gang database has been effective in stopping and preventing crime, and said that they don't use the information until a crime has been committed.

Critics said the information can impact people who have been charged, with larger sentences or bail amounts. Several state senators said they are concerned it's being used as a tool for racial profiling.

Illinois State Senator Patricia Van Pelt said that at least 89 percent of African-American men — from ages 20 to 29 — are on the list. She held a State Senate Public Health Committee hearing at Malcolm X College earlier this month to address concerns over the list's impact on minorities.

The police department said it doesn't target people based on race, gender, geography or religion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois however said that one if it's biggest concerns with the database is that so little is known about how it operates. The group said that 95 percent of names on the list are people of color.

"These designations can be inaccurate or outdated, but there is no process for an individual to contest the designation or petition for removal," the ACLU said in a media release. "For example, data obtained by ProPublica Illinois showed that individuals were identified as gang-affiliated as far back as 1984, and included many individuals in their seventies, eighties, and even over 100 years old."

The ACLU said the information is used by immigration officials when deciding whether to grant someone's application for legal status. The group said it's also used by prosecutors who are deciding whether to increase charges.

"The City of Chicago and CPD officials have acknowledged that the database is flawed," the ACLU said. "In December, the city settled a lawsuit in which it admitted that the plaintiff’s gang designation — which led to a raid on his home and months spent in ICE detention — was false."

The ACLU and other advocates are calling for ramped up transparency, which would include releasing the number of people who have been designated gang members, their demographics, how long ago each designation was made and how that data is assessed for accuracy and shared.

Image via Chicago Police Department