

Crime-Predicting Algorithm Outperforms Humans - hardtke
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428354/la-cops-embrace-crime-predicting-algorithm/

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CapybaraWarrior
Never quite understood the draw of headlines like this: "Human With Tool
Outperforms Human Without Tool"

Yep. That's what humans do. Now, if you really want to catch my attention,
give me a headline like this: "Humans Without Tool Completely Fail To Freak
Out When New Tool Appears".

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3mpach3r
A valid point. Though, there's something to be said for having the right tool.
Give me the headline "Human with shovel outperforms human without shovel at
predicting crimes" and we'll talk.

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quandrum
> Where police used to sit in daily meetings to plan where to patrol, they can
> now spend more time actually out on patrol, since the computer's doing the
> planning.

While this is a nice application of machine learning, I can't help but wonder
how much of their increase is due to the above fact.

Police being part bigger parts of their neighborhoods must be a non-negligible
variable.

~~~
saraid216
Even if you assume that the algorithm's quality is exactly on par with the
seasoned police veterans, the fact that it's fast is a sufficient value-add by
itself.

~~~
wmf
In that case, I've got an even cheaper and faster solution: Pick some points
on the map randomly.

Now that I think about it, this could be used as a control.

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jere
That would actually have the added benefit of avoiding profiling.

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imchris
Why is that a benefit?

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jere
Assuming both methods are equally effective, then it prevents bad PR.

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0range
I wonder what the guy who police stopped from breaking into the empty house
will do? Let's say the guy stopped from a burglary for some time. He doing it
by choice for a reason (has no job, hungry, does not want a job, can't find
one - could be many reasons). What he will do next? Will he go into different
area or try something new like killing someone? The question is will this
technology applied from only one side shift the crime distribution on the map
or shift it on the type of crime distribution? The real problem is not
addressed. Someone just try to make some money by providing symptomatic cure.

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bigiain
I wonder how log it'll be until "the bad guys" start
stealing/sniffing/hacking/buying each days map from the cops, so they know
where it's relatively safer to commit crime?

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ronnier
What will be said to those who claim racial profiling by these algorithms?

~~~
wmf
Would people complain that the police are or aren't visiting their
neighborhood?

~~~
ronnier
Oddly enough, both.

~~~
lambdaphage
This is not so unreasonable. In many neighborhoods, underprovision of actual
police services (cf <a
href="[http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page5&item=3&#...](http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page5&item=3&num=58>Public)
Enemy</a>) is as big a problem as getting hassled for no reason.

