Some Florida Police Are Using Data To Predict Crime

Well, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department isn't using an oracle yet, but it is getting one step closer to Minority Report-style crime predicting.

The department has become the latest agency to use big data analytics and data mining to prevent crime by staying one step ahead of criminals. According to IBM, the company has entered into a partnership with the Fort Lauderdale PD to integrate new data and analytics tools into everyday crime fighting. The new projects will use pattern recognition and anomaly detection tech on existing records like 911 calls, crime records, and building permit activity. The data generated by the new software package is designed to help, among other things, generate new patrol routes and redeploy officers to areas that have more crime activity.