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Tampa Police slammed for dystopian 'Minority Report' scheme to 'identify future criminals'

Pasco Sheriff's Office drew up a list of individuals based on 'an evaluation' of their 'recent criminals behavior' designed to identify offenders in the community

TAMPA, FLORIDA: The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has come under fire after they sent a letter to some people telling them they will be under additional strict observation. The county seems to have created a list of people they think could likely be involved in criminality based on an intelligence program that has been created by using people's past criminal activities. Angered individuals have taken to Twitter to slam the program and many are mocking it after noticing that the ploy is very similar to the plot of the Tom Cruise-starrer 'Minority Report'. 

The dystopian scheme first came to light in September 2020 after an investigation conducted by the Tampa Bay Times revealed that the sheriff's office has created a list of people it considers problematic and more likely to break the law. The list was created after going through people's criminal histories, investigating the company they've kept along with other unspecified intelligence. The outlet also revealed that the office sends deputies to the homes of the individuals who feature on the list repeatedly, at times without a search warrant or a probable cause for an arrest. The outlet revealed that by 2020, 1,000 people were on the list, out of which about 100 people were 18 or younger. 

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List of school kids who could turn out to be criminals

Two months after making the revelation, the news outlet in November conducted another investigation wherein they found that school-going children were targets of the program as well. It was revealed that the sheriff's office kept a list of children who it thinks could "fall into a life of crime." Factors taken into consideration while making the list included whether these kids were abused, if their grades were deteriorating and they were scoring D's and F's, according to the agency's internal intelligence manual. According to the sheriff's office, 420 kids were on the list till November 2020. 

According to the 83-page document, students receiving C's or better grades are considered "on track" while the ones who have received 1 or more D's are "at risk". The ones with 1 or more F's are considered "off-track". Credit work, attendance, and office discipline referrals of students are also considered while determining which kids make it to the list. The office put together the list by combining the rosters from most middle and high schools in the county, and which include sensitive records which are protected by state and federal law. 

"So the @PascoSheriff Department has decided to make Minority Report a real thing & literally harass their citizens under the guise of helping them live lawful lives. Let’s call this what it is, discrimination, school to prison pipeline, harassment, & abuse of power," read a tweet. "This is the Minority Report come to life, and fascism at work. America is determined to make every science fiction movie and show about the evils of fascist technology, come to life," wrote another angered user.

"I'm so glad that I haven't supported Florida with any of my vacation funds for almost 15 years. Essentially FL is creating the real version of Philip K Dick's Minority Report," read another tweet. "This same program also compiles the school grades of -CHILDREN- to "identify potential future criminals." And we all know which children these assh**es consider a "problem." Can someone tell them Minority Report was a dystopian warning, NOT a how-to manual?" another angered user wrote.

Pasco County's Sheriff Chris Nocco has also come under fire for sending out the four-page letter. “You were selected as a result of an evaluation of your recent criminal behavior using an unbiased, evidence-based risk assessment designed to identify prolific offenders in our community. As a result of this designation, we will go to great efforts to encourage change in your life through enhanced support and increased accountability," reads an excerpt from the letter.