The Durham City Council has effectively killed a controversial $517,500 police data-integration contract after critics said it could lead to mass surveillance and racial profiling.
City Manager Bo Ferguson pulled the proposed contract with Peregrine Technologies at the start of Monday night’s council meeting, saying it was “no longer being considered or put forward by staff.”
The decision follows a heated discussion at the City Council’s Jan. 29 meeting, where residents expressed fears that the software provided by Peregrine Technologies could be weaponized by federal agencies to target marginalized communities or assist in immigration raids…