Government Technology - December 2008 - (Page DC32)

Software BY CHANDLER HARRIS A computer application that replicates the intuitive experience of veteran cops helps lower crime rates in Richmond, Va. Predicts they can access before a shift. Data from the records-management system is integrated and analyzed continuously. The RPD’s innovative enterprise platform produced dramatic results. By moving from a “reactive crisis management structure” to a “proactive problem deference model,” the department lowered the city’s ranking from ﬁfth most dangerous U.S. city in 2004 to 15th most dangerous city in 2005, and a 21 percent reduction in major crimes from 2005 to 2006. The department also won Gartner’s 2007 BI Excellence Award. “We’re replicating the intuitive nature of the seasoned veteran cops — the guys who have been on the force for 25 years and know certain sections of the city really well and operate almost out of complete intuition — who know more than a crime map might show them,” said Stephen Holliﬁeld, information services manager of the RPD. “Our application attempts to do the same thing, but provides that type of intuitive picture about areas and gives them to our ‘green ofﬁcers’ who have been on the force for only two years and haven’t developed that sense yet. This kind of speeds up the process and gives pictures based on all the crimes in the past, weather, times of day, day of week and moon phases.” THE DEPARTMENT OF PRE-CRIME is an intriguing concept used in the 2002 science ﬁction ﬁlm Minority Report, and it’s inching toward reality for the Richmond (Va.) Police Department (RPD). Instead of the ﬁlm’s ﬁctitious “precogs” who ﬂoat in a pool of water while foreseeing crimes, the police department uses crime analysis and prediction. The concept is based on the idea that criminal behavior often follows identiﬁable patterns that can be used to predict criminal acts. By collecting yesterday’s crime statistics and external factors — weather, time, day, moon phase, etc. — ofﬁcers can estimate when and where tomorrow’s crimes will occur using business intelligence (BI) capabilities. Beginning in 2006, a new system was launched in a phased implementation that provides predictive crime analysis, data mining, reporting and GIS capabilities to the RPD. Ofﬁcers receive the most current information available, including predictions of crime hot spots BI Approach Works The RPD began down the road of crime prediction in 2005, when it named Rodney Monroe the police chief of its 700 ofﬁcers. The immediate objective was lowering the Richmond’s crime rate for its 220,000 residents, so Monroe met with BI software vendor Information Builders and analytical software vendor SPSS Inc. to see how technology could help. At the time, the police department was data-rich and information-poor: A wealth of historical data was gleaned from its mature 911 system, the computer-aided dispatch system and the records management system, which 32 DIGITAL COMMUNITIES DECEMBER 08

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - December 2008

Government Technology - December 2008 Contents Point of View Four Questions for... On the Scene Big Picture Year in Review Who Controls Your Network? Paper Makes a Comeback Halting Meth Abuse Spectrum Up Close signal:noise Digital Communities Contents Becoming a Digital Community Rethinking 700 MHz Smart Grids: Powering the Future Gearing Up for Crime 2.0 Software Predicts Crime Local Portals on the Red Carpet More Than Just a Pretty Face

Government Technology - December 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.