Marcus turned his steady gaze to Vanessa, who sat frozen in her chair like a deer caught in headlights. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute authority. "You did not call the police on a stranger. You called them on your majority owner." The boardroom felt smaller now, as if Marcus's presence had shifted the very air pressure.
Elellaner closed her folder and leaned back in her leather chair, the fight draining from her face. Arthur remained standing by the window, but his shoulders had sagged in defeat. Marcus opened his briefcase and withdrew a tablet. Ms. Drummond, I need the legal team to produce all contracts with municipal police departments from the last 5 years.
Mr. Sterling, I want complete financial records for the public safety technology division. Mrs. Halbrook, I need access to all internal communications regarding the SafeWatch community alert system. Patricia Drummond's face went white.
The SafeWatch system? Sir, that's our most sensitive proprietary. It's my proprietary system now. Marcus interrupted, and I want to understand exactly how it works. Robert Kellison shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Mr. Ellison, the SafeWatch platform is a sophisticated neighborhood security solution. It allows residents to report suspicious activity, and our software analyzes patterns to help law enforcement respond more effectively by flagging certain people as high-risk based on their race and income level, Marcus said flatly. The silence stretched until it became unbearable. David Sterling finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper.
The system doesn't use race as a direct input variable, but it uses zip codes, property values, employment status, and resident complaint frequency, Nora Whitfield said, consulting her own notes, which creates the same discriminatory results while providing legal cover. Marcus turned his tablet to face the board. I've already obtained preliminary data from three police departments that use your system. In the last 18 months, the SafeWatch platform flagged over 200 individuals as potential neighborhood threats. 93% were black or Hispanic.
87% were in affluent neighborhoods where they didn't live. Vanessa finally found her voice. "That's not discrimination. That's just data. If certain people keep showing up where they don't belong, like me in my own driveway," Marcus asked quietly.
The question hung in the air like a blade. Vanessa's mouth opened and closed without sound. Marcus swiped to another screen on his tablet. Your system sold reporting software to 17 police departments in this region. Officer Bellamy's department has been using it for 8 months.