A new tool that allows police to predict where a crime might occur is having an impact in the city of Norcross.
The police department has found crime is down 20 percent over a year ago since it first began using PredPol in August.
The system was developed by professors at UCLA and the Los Angeles Police Department and uses the same technology that predicts aftershocks from earthquakes to forecast the highest risk times and places for future crimes.
“It doesn’t mean that a crime is going occur there, there’s no way to do that,” says Norcross Police Lt. Bill Grogan.
But he tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish that a higher police presence in those areas is likely helping to prevent crimes from occurring.
The department receives twice daily reports from the company that focuses in on a 500 square foot area or “red box” to determine the probability of a crime occurring there.
“Our officers… use it as a way to plan out their day and we’ve seen great success,” says Grogan.
He calls the department a pioneer for the system in the southeast although the city of Atlanta rolled out a 90-day trial in October.
Grogan needs no more convincing.
“I think this is the future of law enforcement,” he says.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/3L4F3N7PEJD3HA4HMURQPKHCLE.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/Y6EQE4COYVAGNDWZNO3N23FMWQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/IC2ZNVHSJFF65JHEFK7NDXRYKQ.jpg)
Sign Up
