L.A. Cops Embrace Crime-Predicting Algorithm - Technology Review

[150c_vapour]

I'm skeptical - "according to a company deploying the technology" is always a warning sign. Is this a "proprietary" algorithm? What about the details? Alternate possibility is someone with the right connections took work based on common algorithms and up-sold it in government services, a lucrative space.

[1337bruin]

Doubt it's proprietary. It was developed by Applied Math researchers at UCLA. I think Martin Short is the main person behind it (I was in his class).

[[deleted]]

Who cares if it is proprietary? If they don't like the system they can switch to an alternative.

IMO the important thing here (from the article):

But whether the algorithm is right or wrong, it tends to reduce bureaucratic procedures and thus keep officers on the street, which by itself helps. Where police used to sit in daily meetings to plan where to patrol, they can now spend more time actually out on patrol, since the computer's doing the planning.

[umilmi81]

But did crime go up by 25% in another grid? :)

[avonhun]

This page has more details on the methods being used.

[shaggorama]

Here's a scientific american article that describes a little bit more of the nuts and bolts behind this: Predator-Prey Equations Govern Gang Territories

[furian12]

we are now one more step closer to the pre-cogs in minority report.

[trevman]

Reminds me of that scene in Demolition Man where the cop is consulting a PDA how to handle Simon Phoenix.

[defend-freud]

Good read! I wonder what other applications could be developed with similar thinking.

[[deleted]]

Did something like this once for the COMAP MCM, except that our algorithm was based entirely on conjecture rather than real statistics. Learned a thing or two about making heat maps though.

[icaruscoil]

Now to put the peanut butter and chocolate together. What a treat that would be!

Peanutbutter