U.S. Border Patrol intelligence context
What Are Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT)?
- Also known as
- PITT
PITT stands for Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team. A Department of Homeland Security document reported by 404 Media identifies a PITT inside the Spokane Sector Border Patrol Targeting & Intelligence Division. In the documented case, an agent reviewed law-enforcement-sensitive systems, developed intelligence and passed information to local law enforcement.
The public record shows the existence of PITT teams in Spokane and Laredo, but it does not provide a complete national roster or a public operating manual describing every data source, model or targeting threshold.
| Question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| What does PITT stand for? | Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team |
| Who operates it? | U.S. Border Patrol |
| What does it do? | Develops intelligence from law-enforcement-sensitive information |
| Where can the intelligence go? | One documented case shows information passed to local law enforcement |
Why now
Searches rose after reporting revealed the name Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team and showed how one Spokane Sector case moved from a financial-activity signal to local law enforcement.
The connection
Why here
How Does a PITT Work?
One Publicly Documented Case Shows This Path
- Data review
- A pattern is flagged
- Intelligence is developed
- Information is passed to local law enforcement
- Local officers act on the information
This sequence describes the case documented in the reporting that revealed PITT publicly. It is not a published national PITT operating manual.
What Data Is Publicly Documented?
| Publicly documented in the reported case | What the record says |
|---|---|
| Law-enforcement-sensitive systems | The PITT agent described reviewing these systems to develop intelligence |
| Financial-activity patterns | The document described patterns the agent associated with illicit narcotics activity |
The important distinction is between information documented in this case and claims about every PITT team. The page does not treat one disclosed case as a complete description of all PITT operations.
What Is Known — and What Is Not Public?
| Publicly identified | Not publicly disclosed in a complete national form |
|---|---|
| PITT stands for Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team | A complete list of every PITT team |
| A Spokane Sector PITT was named in a DHS document | A public national PITT operating manual |
| A Laredo Sector “Tech Ops PITT” was identified in reporting | A complete list of data sources used by every team |
| One documented case involved financial-activity patterns | Uniform analytical thresholds used across all teams |
| Intelligence in the documented case was passed to local police | A complete national deployment map |
More context
Context
Where Have PITT Teams Been Identified?
Spokane Sector
The clearest public documentation comes from a DHS document naming the “Spokane Sector Border Patrol Targeting & Intelligence Division (TID) — Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team (PITT).”
Laredo Sector
404 Media also reported evidence of a “Laredo Sector Tech Ops PITT,” showing that the name is not limited to Spokane.
These two identified sectors do not establish a complete national count.
PITT vs. “Predictive Policing”
PITT is the name of the team: Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team. “Predictive policing” is a description used in reporting and criticism of the practice; it is not what the acronym PITT stands for.
Why Are People Searching for PITT Now?
The term entered broad public attention after a September 8, 2026 investigation by 404 Media revealed the name Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team and described documents connected to the Spokane Sector unit. Search interest then expanded around the unfamiliar acronym, its role and how intelligence reaches local police.
Quick Answers
Is PITT part of DHS? Yes. U.S. Border Patrol is part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Is PITT the same thing as predictive policing? No. PITT is the team name. “Predictive policing” is a broader label used to describe systems that use data and analysis to identify people, places or activity for further law-enforcement attention.
How many PITT teams exist? Public reporting has identified PITT teams in the Spokane and Laredo Border Patrol sectors. A complete national count has not been publicly provided.
Evidence
Sources
- A Secretive DHS Predictive Policing Unit Is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over — 404 Media
Reports the Spokane PITT document, the documented data-to-local-police chain, and a Laredo Sector Tech Ops PITT.
- U.S. Border Patrol — U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Provides the official organizational context for U.S. Border Patrol within CBP and DHS.