United StatesPublic sector2012–2019Chicago Police Department
Strategic Subject List and Crime and Victimization Risk Model
Chicago police retired shooting-risk models that an audit found unreliable for operational use
Problem
Chicago police wanted to identify people likely to become shooting victims or offenders and target violence-prevention interventions.
Approach
From 2012, the department used models developed with the Illinois Institute of Technology to assign individual risk scores and tiers. The inspector general found outdated data, inadequate training, weak access controls and no sustainable operating plan. The department decommissioned the program on November 1, 2019, before the inspector general published its advisory.
Results
Takeaway
The department deployed individual risk scores without maintaining the data, training and access controls needed to interpret and use them consistently.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Public sector
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Predictive analytics and ML
- Adoption
- Partner co-development
- Goal
- Quality and risk
- Evidence
- Regulator, audit or court
Sources
Source summaries
The advisory documented unreliable operational scores, outdated training, uncontrolled access and weaknesses in evaluation and maintenance. It recorded the program's 2012 start, $3.8 million in grants and November 2019 decommissioning.
The historical dataset confirmed that the program ended in 2019. It described the algorithm's purpose as estimating involvement in a shooting, either as a victim or offender.
Full details are in the original sources.