Using Algorithms to Release Criminals:  State courts across the country have in recent years moved to using computer algorithms, rather than human judgement, to determine which offenders can be released on bail, parole or probation without posing a threat to public safety.  In a previous post  we noted that some AI leaders have problems with the accuracy of these algorithms.  Andre Torrez and Amber Lee of San Francisco's KTVU report that a vagrant caught on video attacking and attempting to drag off a 27-year-old woman outside her apartment last Saturday has been released back to the street pending trial for the assault by judge who relied on an algorithm to determine his threat to the public.  The victim was outraged, "I was attacked and that man attacked me. It's on video. What else does the city need to see for proof to know that this man is a danger to all of us?  I don't want to be in a city knowing that there could be criminals anywhere," she said. "They're not getting punished, so I don't want to live here anymore."   SF Mayor London Breed called the attack "terrible" and "disturbing," and suggested that more resources are needed.   

Philly Shooter Had Long Record:  36-year-old Maurice Hill, arrested last night after a standoff that began when he opened fire from a house in a Philadelphia neighborhood injuring six officers, had an extensive criminal record.  Travis Fedschun of Fox News reports that the defendant had been in and out of prison since he was 18 for drug, gun and assault crimes.  Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said that Hill "should not have been on the streets," but that law enforcement did not have a "crystal ball" to predict his behavior.  They did have his record of prior crimes.