{
  "id": 6280918,
  "title": "A Secretive DHS ‘Predictive Policing’ Unit is Analyzing Americans’ Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/a-secretive-dhs-predictive-policing-unit-is-analyzing-americans",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-08T13:10:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "404 Media",
    "slug": "404-media",
    "url": "https://www.404media.co/a-secretive-dhs-predictive-policing-unit-is-analyzing-americans-financial-habits-and-pulling-them-over/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A secretive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit called Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT) is examining Americans' financial habits and other data to target law enforcement stops, according to a 404 Media investigation. One instance involved a man driving across Montana who was pulled over on suspicion of an obstructed license plate and charged with a DUI. The PITTs, revealed by 404 Media for the first time, operate in the Spokane Sector, Washington, and the Laredo Sector, Texas, among other areas. The DHS document shared with 404 Media reveals that PITT agents review \"law enforcement-sensitive databases\" to develop intelligence, which often involves analyzing Americans' financial activity. However, it is unclear how exactly the agency monitors financial activity and if it obtained a warrant.",
  "summary": "404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}