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Incident 255: Unreliable ShotSpotter Audio Previously Used to Convict Chicago Man in Murder Case

Description: ShotSpotter audios were previously admitted to convict an innocent Black man in a murder case in Chicago, resulted in his nearly-one-year-long arrest before being dismissed by prosecutors as insufficient evidence.

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Alleged: ShotSpotter developed an AI system deployed by Chicago Police Department, which harmed Michael Williams.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
255
Report Count
9
Incident Date
2020-05-31
Editors
Khoa Lam
Applied Taxonomies
GMF, MIT

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

7.3. Lack of capability or robustness

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. AI system safety, failures, and limitations

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

Incident Occurrence+1
Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI
+6
Judge Tosses Defamation Suit Brought By ShotSpotter Against Vice Media For Reporting On Its Shady Tactics
Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI

Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI

vice.com

How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence

How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence

apnews.com

Judge Tosses Defamation Suit Brought By ShotSpotter Against Vice Media For Reporting On Its Shady Tactics

Judge Tosses Defamation Suit Brought By ShotSpotter Against Vice Media For Reporting On Its Shady Tactics

techdirt.com

Lawsuit: Chicago police misused ShotSpotter in murder case

Lawsuit: Chicago police misused ShotSpotter in murder case

apnews.com

New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter

New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter

chicago.suntimes.com

Lawsuit accuses Chicago authorities of misusing gunshot detection system in a murder case

Lawsuit accuses Chicago authorities of misusing gunshot detection system in a murder case

engadget.com

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder, files lawsuit

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder, files lawsuit

cbsnews.com

Lawsuit: Chicago Police Misused Gunshot Detection Technology in Murder Case

Lawsuit: Chicago Police Misused Gunshot Detection Technology in Murder Case

insurancejournal.com

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder

wfmz.com

Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI
vice.com · 2021

On May 31 last year, 25-year-old Safarain Herring was shot in the head and dropped off at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago by a man named Michael Williams. He died two days later. 

Chicago police eventually arrested the 64-year-old Williams …

How AI-powered tech landed man in jail with scant evidence
apnews.com · 2021

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Williams’ wife pleaded with him to remember their fishing trips with the grandchildren, how he used to braid her hair, anything to jar him back to his world outside the concrete walls of Cook County Jail.

His three da…

Judge Tosses Defamation Suit Brought By ShotSpotter Against Vice Media For Reporting On Its Shady Tactics
techdirt.com · 2022

If you like your dystopia, you can keep your dystopia.

That’s where we are right now: dealing with a gunshot AI company that felt compelled to sue journalists for (accurately) reporting on things the company has done as well as offering the…

Lawsuit: Chicago police misused ShotSpotter in murder case
apnews.com · 2022

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed Thursday alleges Chicago police misused “unreliable” gunshot detection technology and failed to pursue other leads in investigating a grandfather from the city’s South Side who was charged with killing…

New lawsuit aims to halt Chicago’s use of ShotSpotter
chicago.suntimes.com · 2022

A new lawsuit aims to end the use of ShotSpotter technology by the city of Chicago, arguing the gunfire alert system is unreliable and leads to unconstitutional policing.

But the company itself claims a 97% accuracy rate, and it has challen…

Lawsuit accuses Chicago authorities of misusing gunshot detection system in a murder case
engadget.com · 2022

A 65-year-old man named Michael Williams spent almost a year in jail over the shooting of a man inside his car before prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss his case due to insufficient evidence. Now, the MacArthur Justice Center has sued the…

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder, files lawsuit
cbsnews.com · 2022

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago man is taking issue with what he calls flaws with ShotSpotter – saying he was charged with murder and thrown in jail because of the gunshot detection technology.

"It does not have eyes. It has nothing," said Micha…

Lawsuit: Chicago Police Misused Gunshot Detection Technology in Murder Case
insurancejournal.com · 2022

A federal lawsuit filed last Thursday alleges Chicago police misused “unreliable” gunshot detection technology and failed to pursue other leads in investigating a grandfather from the city’s South Side who was charged with killing a neighbo…

Chicago man says flaws with ShotSpotter technology had him framed for murder
wfmz.com · 2022

A Chicago man is taking issue with what he calls flaws with ShotSpotter – saying he was charged with murder and thrown in jail because of the gunshot detection technology. CBS 2 Investigator Megan Hickey reports.

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.
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