PredPol
PredPol, Inc is a predictive policing company which uses predictive analytics to support law enforcement. PredPol is also the name of the software product which the company produces. The idea that became PredPol began as a research project by Dr. Jeff Brantingham, a UCLA Professor.
Private | |
Founder | George Mohler ![]() |
Headquarters | Santa Cruz |
Products | predictive analytics |
Website | www![]() |
Smithsonian remarked in 2018 that no independent published research had ever compared PredPol results to human results.[1]
In October 2018 Cory Doctorow described the secrecy around identifying which police departments use PredPol.[2] PredPol does not share this information.[2] The information is not accessible to the public.[2] In February 2019 Vice followed up to report that many police departments secretly use PredPol.[3]
In 2016 Mic reported that PredPol is racist for inappropriately accusing black people of crimes.[4]
In 2018 the BBC compared PredPol to The Minority Report.[5]
PredPol was a leading vendor of predictive policing by 2012.[6]
References
- Rieland, Randy (5 March 2018). "Artificial Intelligence Is Now Used to Predict Crime. But Is It Biased?". Smithsonian.
- Doctorow, Cory (30 October 2018). "Is this the full list of US cities that have bought or considered Predpol's predictive policing services?". Boing Boing.
- Koebler, Jason; Haskins, Caroline (6 February 2019). "Dozens of Cities Have Secretly Experimented With Predictive Policing Software". Vice.
- Smith IV, Jack (6 October 2016). "(Exclusive) Crime-prediction tool PredPol amplifies racially biased policing, study shows". Mic.
- Smith, Mark (30 October 2018). "Can we predict when and where a crime will take place?". BBC.
- Winston, Ali (26 April 2018). "A pioneer in predictive policing is starting a troubling new project". The Verge.