When criminals are plotting, so are vigilant police departments[1]. Officers are increasingly turning to software and predictive analytics to anticipate when and where misdeeds are likely to occur. But big data is just one component[2] in a growing arsenal of high-tech policing tools. As agencies around the country push for faster, savvier law enforcement, they’re looking more and more like the precrime unit in Minority Report.
Drone Response
The Louisville, Kentucky, police department recently unveiled a proposal to send self-guided drones[3] to investigate alerts from gunshot-detecting sensors, transmitting video footage back to HQ. But privacy groups are perturbed by drone monitoring—already used elsewhere in searches and surveillance. In May, the International Association of Chiefs of Police technology conference included a seminar on “developing public approbation” for drones.
Telltale Tats
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology are developing tattoo recognition technology to identify persons of interest—and those sporting similar ink. Proponents say the FBI-supported program automates the process of analyzing tattoos for potential gang affiliations; privacy advocates argue it infringes on First Amendment rights.
Bodycam Backup
Policing-tech giant Axon (manufacturer of Tasers) made an offer to US law enforcement agencies last spring: one year of free access to the company’s body cameras and storage software. Axon then has access to the resulting data sets, which it could use to develop AI capabilities, such as automatically analyzing video to generate incident reports.
Red-Light Recorders
Cameras at intersections nationwide already upload images of vehicles and license plates to databases, allowing officers to monitor the movements of suspects and identify cars near crime scenes. ICE recently teamed up with a company called Vigilant Solutions, gaining access to its directory of more than 2 billion vehicles.
Phone Sleuth
New York