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Quadro Tracker (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 2 weeks ago by CombatWombat@feddit.online to c/wikipedia@sh.itjust.works

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The Quadro Tracker, also known as the Positive Molecular Locator, was a fake "detection device" sold by Quadro Corp. of Harleyville, South Carolina between 1993 and 1996. Around 1,000 were sold to police departments and school districts around the United States on the basis that it could detect hidden drugs, explosives, weapons and lost golf balls. In 1996, the FBI declared it to be a fake and obtained a permanent injunction barring the device from being manufactured or sold. Three principals of Quadro Corp. were charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, but were acquitted in a trial held in January 1997.

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[–] historicaldocuments@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

There's a reason why all the "bureaucratic red tape" is there, normally anyway.

School officials in the McKinney Independent School District declined to discontinue using the device even after it was banned, saying that they hoped it would be a deterrent: “We’re not looking to nail a particular kid. We’re looking to send a message.”

The only message you're sending is that you're willing to participate in a lie to save face (yes, I know this was years ago), and if a few kids' lives get harmed by it, no big deal, right? The scientific method will win out in the end, but you can make it way more expensive!