A survey showed that almost half of the fugitives who were detained by Smart Sampa, a monitoring program used by the City of São Paulo, are warrants against alimony debtors.
According to the report by Lapin (Public Policy and Internet Laboratory), released this Wednesday (4), which analyzed a sample of 1,153 arrests, at least 540 were classified as “other”, without details and more than 90% of this total were pension debtors (512).
Among the other most frequent criminal types were: 153 robbery, 137 drug trafficking and 17 theft.
The data was analyzed based on the Transparency Report published in June 2025 by the city hall, therefore, it only considers occurrences prior to this date. The current arrest numbers, according to the city hall, total 2,709 fugitives, from the beginning of the program until January 30th.
According to Lapin, responsible for the study, A significant part of the prisons created by the system are not related to public security and do not significantly reduce robberies, thefts or homicides.
For researchers, the program has ‘data opacity’ and the monthly cost is estimated at R$9.8 million
The technical note “Smart Sampa: Transparency for whom? Transparency for what?” was organized jointly between Lapin, the Peregum Black Reference Institute and Rede Liberdade, based on analyzes of the Transparency Report, from the City of São Paulo, and with information obtained through the Access to Information Law (LAI).
Sister of Mayor Ricardo Nunes is arrested after alert from Smart Sampa
“The deeper the evaluation of Smart Sampa goes, the more the reason for its existence is questioned. It is necessary to ask whether the high public expenditure allocated to the program has produced concrete results, given the risks posed to fundamental rights”, says Pedro Diogo, LAPIN coordinator in the Surveillance Working Group.
High number of femicides
Data A capital of paulista broke a record with the number of 60 cases of femicide in 2025, an increase in almost 18% compared to the previous year.
According to the report, municipal management also claims to have located 39 missing people, but simultaneously declares not to store personal data.
Racial retrenchment
According to the institution, the profile of people arrested reflects the racial profile: 93.5% are men, 25% are black people, while 58.9% of the records do not contain any information about race, a gap that makes racial inequalities in policing invisible.
Another excerpt from the technical note cites technical failures and false positives. At least 23 people were improperly transported due to inconsistencies in facial recognition, and 82 people were arrested and later released, 53 due to an error in the warrant system and six due to flaws in the City Hall’s own database.
In May 2025, an 80-year-old man was approached and arrested in the context of Smart Sampa after being mistaken for an alleged fugitive rapist. In January of the same year, a pregnant woman was also wrongly arrested after using the system, resulting in a premature birth after a violent police approach.
Other side
In a note, the City of São Paulo reported that the results of the Smart Sampa Program are notable and the numbers prove it.
See full note:
“The Municipal Secretariat of Urban Security informs that, according to data released this Friday (30) by the Secretariat of Public Security, the city of São Paulo recorded a 14.6% drop in robberies in general, a 21% reduction in vehicle thefts and a 25% decrease in robberies in 2025. Furthermore, the results of the Smart Sampa Program are notorious and the numbers prove this: arrest of 2,709 fugitives from Justice, 3,650 arrests in the act, location of 153 missing people and response to 2,017 incidents involving vehicles.
Smart Sampa has also established itself as an essential tool for investigating crimes by the Civil Police. Images of 559 incidents have already been shared with the agency. The largest intelligent monitoring system in Latin America, Smart Sampa has around 40 thousand cameras in operation in the city. Therefore, the City Hall repudiates any attempt to discredit the system. The orders for alimony were fulfilled based on court orders. In other words, they must be executed by security forces whenever identified, regardless of whether they refer to serious crimes or civil debts.”
*Under the supervision of Thiago Félix
