The technology sifts through a database of thousands of crimes and uses algorithms and different variables, such as geographical location, criminal records and ages of previous offenders, to come up with predictions of where, when, and how a crime could possibly be committed and by who.

The program operates without any direct evidence that a crime will be committed, it simply takes datasets and computes possibilities.

“People assume that if someone murdered then they will murder in the future,” Berk also states, “But what really matters is what that person did as a young individual. If they committed armed robbery at age 14 that’s a good predictor.

Found by Joe Petrides.




  1. chuck says:

    Here’s a little pre-crime check:

    How about if a male, age 18-25, single, buys a one-way air ticket with cash.

    Maybe we should do a little extra screening on this guy?

  2. silver says:

    Should have had a pic from Minority Report?

  3. ECA says:

    this is already happening in Britain.

    Why dont these folks run Sim city and Sim earth and populous.. AND watch what happens to society when corruption takes over….

    Capitalism sucks..
    There is a TOP/CAP that will be reached.
    Money has to go DOWN hill to help those below to by What is being sold. If 1/2 the profits of the last 10-15 years had gone back to employees..
    The stock market wouldnt hit OVER 10,000, AND we probably wouldnt of had the problems we have.

    Corps work on pennies..MORE and more pennies..
    Get the Gov. to foot the bill at 10 times the price?? and you are doing VERY WELL.
    those idiots on the hill, have NO IDEA the costs of goods.

  4. jbenson2 says:

    El Al airline in Israel certainly has done a super job on using Pre-Crime Technology correctly and efficiently.

    Too bad the USA has to deal with the ambulance chasing “who has the deepest pockets?” ACLU parasites who are mucking up the country.

  5. Father says:

    This is an idiotic idea.

    The people who have suggested this idea were likely poor students in University, and didn’t learn a damn thing while there.

    This result is the effect of having a society with lax acamedic standards, and where “everyone has to” get a degree despite they’re being too dim to understand what was being taught.

    The noise created by these idiots is drowning out rational thought.

  6. chuck says:

    Everyone go read Freakanomics and Superfreakanomics. There’s all kinds of datasets that, if analyzed properly, can predict all kinds of behavior.

    The problem is, the behavior is only a statistical possibility. In other words, like it says in the fine print of your retirement plan, past performance is not indicative of future returns.

  7. wirelessg says:

    #1 He’s returning home to Reisterstown from Vegas with money wired to him from his parents after arriving 7 months earlier with his $10,000 graduation money and his “system”. He slept at a gambling friend’s house and ate at all you can eat buffet’s. Was awake 24/6, slept all day Monday. Was ahead by $70,000 two weeks before leaving Vegas, but became the poster child for bad beats. Thought about catching a bus to LA, but he had a free room in Baltimore. He might terrorize the passengers with his woulda/coulda/shoulda whining, but otherwise will sleep like a baby.

  8. Father says:

    jbenson2,

    have you flown to Israel?

    If you had you would know that all they do is profile nonIsraelies and badger people to test how nervous they are. There is no “Pre-Crime” sciene going on there, just really simple mind control.

    Your observation is irrelevant.

  9. LDA says:

    # Ed.

    Is that a real picture? If so what, where, etc.?

  10. jbenson2 says:

    Yup, been to Israel 3 times. Never felt safer. Their process works. Sorry if you don’t like it.

  11. scadragon says:

    In the liberal socialized society that we are becoming — ALL citizens ( except the proletariat) are to be treated as CRIMINALS.

    You sound surprised that this “pre crime” concept is being done…..

  12. jbenson2 says:

    If Father is so spooked about a database analysis, he is really going to freak out when the Backscatter Vans (with an x-ray screening system for identifying explosives and IED) start patrolling his neighborhood. Now that is what I call Pre-Crime Technology on Steroids.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGCd0KPJcMs

  13. jbenson2 says:

    Don’t know what’s wrong with the links. I’ll try another format.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=DGCd0KPJcMs

  14. Father says:

    I’m just saying that Pre-Crime is junk science.

    If The Future could be predicted, then I could support myself by betting on sports. It can not, any anyone who claims otherwise is selling snake oil.

    However, Backscatter could work.

  15. Mextli says:

    And how is this different from regression analysis?

  16. Father says:

    And there is nothing magical (Pre-Crime) about what the Israelies do. They pre-xray your bag, they ask a bunch of questions, they send you through a metal detector and observe you while they make you wait for your carryon to be xrayed.

    In an example of Pre-Crime they would have recorded your actions, and if you didn’t buy hummas on the Thursday before your flight, and made three wrong turns (but not two and not four), you obviously are a terrorist.

    I have played with separating hyperplanes, and I have an idea what the precrime people are trying to do.

  17. LDA says:

    Re. #9 LDA (Me, and anyone else interested)

    After looking at the photo’s file name, I think it is real. Fascist headquarters Italy, ‘The Inquisitor’ according to the interwebitruck.

  18. GlowingApple says:

    “…predictions of where, when, and how a crime could possibly be committed and by who.”

    This is shocking. I’m outraged. I just can’t believe it. Shouldn’t it be “by whom”?!?!

  19. sargasso_c says:

    Eugenicists use the same software to decide which segments of a population are to be sterilised.

  20. deowll says:

    #1 They do it all the time. Not every trip is a round trip or not in the short run. They may be going to college, extended vacation, work site, or moving. They could even be going home.

    My small point is I’d pick somebody that didn’t fit the demographic and buy a round trip ticket. By now we all do know that you should buy a round trip ticket if you are a terrorist, right?

  21. MikeN says:

    Then why should a parole board evaluate a person’s threat to society? They have no way of knowing right?

  22. NobodySpecial says:

    If only youthful drunk driving and cocaine abuse could have alerted someone to the possibility of the adult starting a war

  23. BuzzMega says:

    I predict that Dvorak will blog again.

    And again.

  24. Faxon says:

    So they make a prediction. So? I predict there will be a shooting in Oakland before Saturday night. Of course, since I have to photograph them all of the time, and I average two a week, it’s an easy call.

  25. Cursor_ says:

    “The technology sifts through a database of thousands of crimes and uses algorithms and different variables, such as geographical location, criminal records and ages of previous offenders, to come up with predictions of where, when, and how a crime could possibly be committed and by who.”

    Pffft.

    Batman had this since the 60s.

    Cursor_

  26. Maricopa says:

    # 21 MikeN Then why should a parole board evaluate a person’s threat to society? They have no way of knowing right?

    Someone who is up for parole is, presumably, already a criminal.

  27. estee065 says:

    Pic is from the movie 1984, I think.

  28. Benjamin says:

    “The technology sifts through a database of thousands of crimes and uses algorithms and different variables, such as geographical location, criminal records and ages of previous offenders, to come up with predictions of where, when, and how a crime could possibly be committed and by who.”

    Not to nitpick, but shouldn’t it be “by whom?” Who writes these articles?

  29. MikeN says:

    From the article:

    When a person goes on probation or parole they are supervised by an officer. The question that officer has to answer is ‘what level of supervision do you provide?’”

    So gut instinct, or do you want to use some scientific insight?

  30. ECA says:

    I like the old way..
    FREEDOM to be an idiot, as long as I dont hurt anyone.


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