Predictive Policing
BeckyStrause
PredPol is software some police departments are using to predict the future. The rather simple-looking map is marked with red squares that indicate where the crimes are likely to take place. PredPol uses the information it gathers about times and locations of previous crimes, combined with sociological information about criminal behavior and patterns, to calculate its forecast.
The Los Angeles and Santa Cruz police departments have both been using PredPol, and have both seen decreases in crime. The following statistics are according to the PredPol website :
- In Los Angeles’ Foothill Division, crimes were down 13% following the rollout compared to an increase of 0.4% in the rest of the city where the rollout had not yet happened.
- In the City of Santa Cruz, burglaries were down 27% in July 2011 compared with July 2010.
In the beginning, the Santa Cruz Police Department used it to predict where home, car and vehicle burglaries might take place, and later expanded it to bike thefts, battery, assault and prowling. The city has seen a 19% reduction in burglaries over the past year.
