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Predictive Policing is defined as “involving using algorithms to analyze massive
amounts of information in order to predict and help prevent potential future crimes.” (Lau,
2020). This method uses information from previous crimes to understand specific where future
crimes may happen and in what time frame that crime may occur. This method of policing may
help police pinpoint crime areas more efficiently than their intuition. The main function of type
of policing is to maintain public safety and reduce crime as much as possible. According to the
article by Tim Lau, “The Chicago Police Department ran one of the biggest person-based
predictive policing programs in the United States. First piloted in 2012, the program, called the
“heat list” or “strategic subjects list,”
created a list
of people it considered most likely to commit
gun violence or to be a victim of it. The algorithm, developed by researchers at the Illinois
Institute of Technology, was inspired by
research
out of Yale University that argued that
epidemiological models used to trace the spread of disease can be used to understand gun
violence. Chicago police
frequently touted
the program as key to their strategy for combating
violent crime.” (Lau, 2020).
The last quote goes into how crime mapping supports predictive policing. According to the
article, “
Computerized crime mapping technology enables law enforcement agencies to analyze
and correlate data sources to create a detailed snapshot of crime incidents and related factors
within a community or other geographical area.” (Mamalian & LaVigne, 1999). These types of
maps use preexisting data to sort out what areas would be attracted to criminals, what type of
crimes would be committed and what times these crimes could happen.
There are additional tools that law enforcement could use as well. One thing that law
enforcement could use is surveillance video and cameras. This tool is footage of things that may
have happened on a specific date and a time. This tool keeps a feed of things that may happen,
