PREDPOL – crime prediction software in a town near you

Another piece of Orwellian technology: crime prediction software.

Seattle has become the next city to start using crime prediction software. Mayor Mike McGinn and Police Chief John Diaz announced that two precincts in the Southwest and East will begin using the software known as PREDPOL, short for “predictive policing.””

The program consists of a mathematical algorithm similar to the one used in earthquake prediction. Sociological informaton about criminal behavior and five years’ worth of past crime data is compiled to predict when and where a future crime will likely take place, down to a 500-square-foot area.

Here’s a nice one:

Other recent surveillance technologies in the city, such as the 30 Department of Homeland Security-funded surveillance cameras on Seattle’s popular waterfront area, which were caught pointing inward, not towards the coast line like intended, have caused a backlash from Seattle residents.

Source: examiner.com