The use of big data in crime prevention has been a subject well covered over the past few years. As far back as 2013, major news outlets have been discussing its use to prevent crime and help police officers perform to the best of their ability.
However, it may well have a significant part to play in reforming the criminal justice system, a system that currently needs to be overhauled.
According to a poll conducted by Gallup, trust in police is now the lowest it has been since 1993, with only 52% of the population trusting their police force. This is even lower amongst racial minorities, especially black people, with just 30% saying they trust the thin blue line, which is down 6% compared to the previous year. We ourselves have covered how data has played a part in making the situation worse, with the use of some algorithms creating biases within data that has meant minorities and those from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be targeted by law enforcement.
However, while data may have done its share of damage in law enforcement, it looks like it will also play a big part in the solution.
One of the most important elements is the ability to make the police force as informed as possible, without feeding data through too many algorithms beforehand that may cause bias and continue causing issues for people and police officers. One of these is being used by the NYPD called the Domain Awareness System, which allows them to see information about what’s in front of them that could help with their investigation.
For instance, an article discussing this in Fortune noted an incident where police responded to shots being fired on the roof of a building and could then identify that there was somebody in the building with an outstanding warrant, who was found with guns in their possession. This instant access to information through smartphones and data, meant that the officers could quickly and easily apprehend the suspect without needing to waste their time and public money investigating the incident.
It is a small change that is likely to have big consequences. After all, the warrants that were out on the suspect were already known to the police, the building she lived in was also known, but the access to the data was lacking. It is this access to data when it was needed that was so useful, and this kind of work has saved considerable police time, without getting in the complexities and issues that more in-depth analytical work has sometimes created.
