California’s secretive gang database, with information on hundreds of thousands of predominantly black and Latino men, uses a controversial overlay of sophisticated data analysis and surveillance technologies.
Ali Winston
Ali Winston is a freelance reporter, covering surveillance, privacy and criminal justice. His writing has won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, the New York City Community Media Alliance, the City University of New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club and the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Originally from New York, he is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of California, Berkeley.
Posted inAccountability, Criminal Justice, Inequality, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
Advocates file suit against L.A. anti-gang program
Three advocacy organizations took aim at one of the mainstays of Los Angeles’ war on gangs, filing a class action suit against the city’s gang injunction program.
Posted inAccountability, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement
California’s gang database gets less secretive, but problems linger
Earlier this year, Reveal detailed the myriad problems with CalGang. In some cases, unverified allegations of gang affiliation in the database led to criminal charges and inclusion in civil gang injunctions, which restrict someone’s ability to move and associate freely.
Posted inAccountability, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
Legislature approves transparency for California gang database
California is one step away from allowing hundreds of thousands of residents to find out if they are listed in the state’s gang database and to appeal for removal.
Posted inAccountability, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
California State Auditor: Flaws rampant in gang database
The California State Auditor harshly criticized management, oversight and use of the CalGang database, which tracks people with alleged gang ties across the state.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Immigration, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
Bill to shed light on California’s gang database moves forward
Legislation that would open California’s gang database to more public scrutiny has advanced in the state Assembly, despite significant opposition from law enforcement.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Immigration, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
You may be in California’s gang database and not even know it
California’s statewide CalGang database, which includes more than 150,000 people, has come under fire for its secrecy, which can ensnare innocent peop
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
Facebook Reactions are a gift to advertisers and law enforcement alike
Facebook’s new “Reactions” – a thumbs-up, a heart and four faces with expressions ranging from mirth to shock, sadness and anger – are intended to hel
Posted inCriminal Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
New York police tracked cellphones across East Coast without warrants
The New York Police Department has used controversial cellphone tracking technology over a thousand times since 2008 and appears to have farmed out the devices to law enforcement agencies up and down the East Coast.
Posted inLocal Law Enforcement, Surveillance and Privacy
Oakland, California, OKs nation’s second permanent privacy committee
Oakland, California’s City Council approved the formation of the Permanent Privacy Advisory Committee to develop policies for surveillance equipment use by city agencies.