Predictive Policing

Predictive Policing

1. Compare and Contrast the application of information technology (IT) to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of the streets.

When comparing and contrasting the application of IT to optimize police departments’ performance to reduce crime versus random patrols of streets we have to look to departments that are using the technology and see what kinds of changes have taken place in the numbers of crimes taking place before the systems went in place and current usage of IT systems. One example of the reductions of crime due to the IT analysis over previous years’ data was found in Richmond, Virginia. Using the new technology the department used the data from previous years and “were able to anticipate the time, location, and nature of future incidents” (Pearsall, 2010) before they occurred and could increase the presence of police in those areas as a deterrent to potential criminal activity. In the same article the “Richmond police placed officers at these locations to prevent crime and respond more rapidly” (Pearsall, 2010) to any situations that may have occurred. During New Year’s Eve celebrations 2003 in Richmond the technology that placed the officers strategically around the city resulted in “a 47 percent decrease in random gunfire and a 246 percent increase in weapons seized” while also saving the department “$15,000 in personnel costs” (Pearsall, 2010) during the event from the statistics that were reported in previous years. Those are some pretty impressive statistics for a system that is still in the early years of development.

Another example of this technology being used was noted in Arlington, Texas who used the data “to identify hotspots” (Pearsall, 2010) in residential burglaries “and then compared these locations to areas with codes violations” (Pearsall, 2010) which determined that in areas of higher physical decay, there appeared to be an increase in burglary...