Predicting crime, LAPD-style | Cities | theguardian.com

Posted by $ AJAshinoff 9 years, 9 months ago to Culture
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What was that Cruise movie about psychic preemptive arrest? Minority Report by Phillip K. Dick? Nix the psychic element everyone would criticize, add in a computer and everyone will laud the invention - at least those who camp with O.
SOURCE URL: http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/jun/25/predicting-crime-lapd-los-angeles-police-data-analysis-algorithm-minority-report


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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 9 years, 9 months ago
    Thanks, AJ! I do quibble with your claim that "those who camp with O[bama]" will praise this. Literally, perhaps, seeing as how the President's left wing has abandoned him. Look at the polls. He never had any Republican friends, so the dip in approval must come from disaffected lefties, the comrades we love to hate. That said, I do note that one word was missing from this report: "arrest." It appeared twice, both times in the past tense, not the future present or gerund. No one is being arrested for crimes in progress as a result of this.

    In 2010, as I was completing my master's I had a class in Geographic Information Systems. The professor asked me to write my term paper on GIS for law enforcement. I wrote about something else, but sent him a long note on the fact that "sticking pins in maps" is an old method of communication for the squad room briefing. And never did much because you cannot prevent crime by driving past it.

    In an interesting study from Buenes Aires, the town was plagued with anti-Semitic attacks on synagogues and cemeteries. So, the police parked nearby. Not only did the attacks diminish (of course). So did the theft of automobiles. Just about everywhere a cop car was, within one block on all sides, thieves avoided the targets. I trust that you are not surprised.


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  • Posted by Technocracy 9 years, 9 months ago
    Trend analysis in the real world for the where and when. Of which this is a good example.

    For the WHO however......

    It has to come down to profiling in the end if you expect to predict behavior on an unknown subject.

    Nothing else works.
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