Hoping to counter an alarmingly high number of murders and gun violence — the Chicago Police Department tries something that seems straight out of science fiction: they build an algorithm to predict who is most likely to be involved in a shooting, dubbed the "Heat List." The cops say it’s meant to curb violence and save lives. But when two brothers, Ryan and Shaquon Thomas, find themselves on this list, it begs the question: can the "Heat List" help the Thomas brothers before it’s too late…or will it bring even more heat?
The Thomas family picks up the pieces and looks to the future, while answers to the more difficult questions about the Heat List—questions of accountability and transparency—prove elusive.
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28 Apr 2026
5 | Turn in the Road
Still mourning their loss, Ryan and his family suffer another devastating trauma. Meanwhile, the Chicago Police Department changes leadership amidst a scandal. Will they scrap the Heat List, or double down?
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21 Apr 2026
4 | Ain’t What It Seem
The Chicago Police Department’s “Heat List” program not only fails the Thomases, but a major evaluation, too.
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14 Apr 2026
3 | Target
Members of a rival gang have put a target on Shaquon’s back. At the same time, his music begins blowing up in the streets. But it’s not just enemies and fans who take an interest in him. Police show up at his door. He’s on the Heat List.
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7 Apr 2026
2 | Deeper and Deeper
A long-standing feud between Shaquon’s gang and a rival set begins to bubble over, claiming a life. The Chicago Police Department’s “Heat List” hopes to identify those caught in the cycle of gun violence. But they don’t account for the century of bad blood between Black communities and the police.
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7 Apr 2026
1 | Rising Star
Ryan and Shaquon Thomas are aspiring rappers in the Chicago drill scene, one synonymous with violence. But, the Chicago Police Department is developing a new tool to try to stem that violence. Can it help them in time?
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12 Nov 2025
Introducing: Heat List
The Chicago Police Department crafts a scientifically-backed, cutting-edge predictive policing tool to identify folks caught up in the cycle of gun violence on Chicago’s streets. It’s meant to save lives, but will it do more harm than good?
From Wondery and Vespucci, comes Heat List, a story of one city’s 21st-century effort to break its cycle of violence and one family’s journey to find a way out of that violence once and for all.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.1 / 5
25 ratings
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