Each morning, Richmond Police Lt. Andre Hill turns on his computer and looks at where crime is most likely to occur in the city. “If you look here, there’s five red boxes in the iron triangle for the day shift,” Hill said, while pointing at his computer screen.
Each box represents a two and a half square block area where burglaries, car thefts, and robberies are most likely to occur. RPD officers in patrol spend at least 40 minutes per shift in each of the boxes. “They park their car, get out, walk around, and engage with the community,” Hill said.
Theoretically, their presence will suppress crime before it happens.
The computer system is called predictive policing. It’s an algorithm—similar to one used to predict aftershocks from an earthquake—that analyzes data and forecasts the likelihood of crimes occurring in certain areas. RPD uses that information to stop crime before it has the chance to be committed.
For the whole story on predictive policing from Joaquin Palomino, visit Richmond Confidential.