Algorithm Claims to Predict Crime in US Cities Before It Happens
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers patrol inside the Times Square subway station in New York, US, on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
Photographer: Stephanie Keith/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A new computer algorithm can now forecast crime in a big city near you — apparently.
The algorithm, which was formulated by social scientists at the University of Chicago and touts 90% accuracy, divides cities into 1,000-square-foot tiles, according to a study published in Nature Human Behavior. Researchers used historical data on violent crimes and property crimes from Chicago to test the model, which detects patterns over time in these tiled areas tries to predict future events. It performed just as well using data from other big cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, the study showed.