The Role of Technology in Crime Prevention

Last month, a drone from Skyfire | AI was credited with saving a police officer’s life after a dramatic 2 a.m. traffic stop. Many statistics show that AI impacts billions of lives, but sometimes a story still hits me emotionally. Let me share what happened. Skyfire AI, an AI Fund portfolio company led by CEO Don Mathis, operates a public safety program in which drones function as first responders to 911 calls. Particularly when a police department is personnel-constrained, drones can save officers’ time while enhancing their situational awareness. For example, many burglar alarms are false alarms, maybe set off by moisture or an animal. Rather than sending a patrol officer to drive over to discover this, a drone can get there faster and determine if an officer is required at all. If the alarm is real, the drone can help officers understand the situation, the locations of any perpetrators, and how best to respond. In January, a Skyfire AI drone was returning to base after responding to a false alarm when the police dispatcher asked us to reroute it to help locate a patrol officer. The officer had radioed a few minutes earlier that he had pulled over a suspicious vehicle and had not been heard from since. The officer had stopped where two major highways intersect in a complex cloverleaf, and dispatch was unsure exactly where they were located. From the air, the drone rapidly located the officer and the driver of the vehicle he had pulled over, who it turned out had escaped from a local detention facility. Neither would have been visible from the road — they were fighting in a drainage ditch below the highway. Because of the complexity of the cloverleaf’s geometry, the watch officer (who coordinates police activities for the shift) later estimated it would have taken 5-7 minutes for an officer in a patrol car to find them. From the aerial footage, it appeared that the officer still had his radio, but was losing the fight and unable to reach it to call for help. Further, it looked like the assailant might gain control of his service weapon and use it against him. This was a dire and dangerous situation. Fortunately, because the drone had pinpointed the location of the officer and his assailant, dispatch was able to direct additional units to assist. The first arrived not in 5-7 minutes but in 45 seconds. Four more units arrived within minutes. The officers were able to take control of the situation and apprehend the driver, resulting in an arrest and, more important, a safe outcome for the officer. Subsequently, the watch officer said we’d probably saved the officer’s life. [Reach length limit; full text: https://lnkd.in/g3QdKp5Q ]

Researchers have developed a Drone Surveillance System (DSS) that uses a ScatterNet Hybrid Deep Learning Network to monitor and identify violent movements. In simpler terms, this means the drone is equipped with artificial intelligence that can recognize patterns associated with aggression or violence by analyzing live video feeds. How Does It Work? - Real Time Monitoring: The drone continuously scans its surroundings, capturing live video footage. - AI Analysis: The onboard AI processes the video to detect specific movements or actions that are indicative of violent behavior. - Accuracy Rates: The system boasts a 94% accuracy rate when observing a single individual. However, accuracy drops to 79% when monitoring a group of ten people, highlighting challenges in crowded environments. Potential Benefits: - Enhanced Public Safety: Quick identification of violent incidents could allow for faster response times from law enforcement or security personnel. - Deterrence: The presence of surveillance drones may deter potential wrongdoers from engaging in violent acts. - Resource Efficiency: Automated monitoring could supplement human efforts, covering larger areas without the need for extensive manpower. AI systems can inadvertently carry biases based on the data they were trained on, potentially leading to disproportionate targeting of certain groups, therefore such applications of AI have to be heavily regulated. While the technology holds promise for improving public safety, it's essential to address the accompanying ethical and legal challenges. Implementing strict guidelines and oversight can help ensure that the technology is used responsibly. Is the deployment of AI-powered surveillance drones a positive step towards safer communities, or does it pose too great a risk to personal privacy? #innovation #technology #future #management #startups

A police department without ResourceRouter, our comprehensive patrol management tool, is like a football team without an offensive coordinator. You can still win, but it'll be a lot harder and slower. It’s like watching an episode of Hill Street Blues (Michael Conrad's "Let's be careful out there" line still rings true). Every morning across America, police sergeants stand in front of their teams during roll calls, reading from printed reports and manually directing resources. But with departments down 15-30% in headcount, this traditional approach isn't enough to manage officers and their patrol strategies safely or efficiently. This is why SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter) developed ResourceRouter, your data-driven offensive coordinator with real-time analytics: 👮ResourceRouter is the coach, making sure every player makes a successful play. It acts as the sergeant, guiding every officer to the right spot at the right time for a successful patrol. 📊Like a coach reviews live game footage to make smarter decisions, ResourceRouter reviews real-time data to help police adjust plans and stay ahead of potential issues. 🚨ResourceRouter helps police departments score touchdowns by staying on top of crime and public safety, even with fewer officers on duty. The results? We're seeing departments transform from reactive (over-policing and under-policing) to proactive measures (data-driven resource and patrol management). They're making smarter decisions about how to deploy their limited resources to better address public safety challenges. Here's what I find most exciting: This tool isn't just about efficiency - it's about enabling officers to be true problem-solvers in their communities. When you combine human judgment with data-driven insights, you create a powerful feedback loop that uses iteration to achieve crime prevention and continuously improves public safety outcomes. Our technology iterates based on supporting data to defeat the opponent: Crime. The game has changed. It’s time for departments to change their patrol game plan.

Today's, the Chicago Tribune published a thoughtful editorial, advocating for keeping the gunfire detection technology ShotSpotter across the city. The Editorial's main reasoning focuses on three areas: First, the Chicago Police Department leadership, including its Superintendent Larry Snelling, is strongly in support of this technology as one of many tools to be at crime scenes fast, in addition to our 911 system. Second, the most recent data by the University of Chicago Crime Lab has shown that this technology saves almost 100 lives annually due to a faster response time to help quickly shooting victims, including those rapidly bleeding to death. Third, the relatively low costs for this technology in comparison to other solutions does justify its deployment and represents a thoughtful financial investment to support our police officers. Safety in all our communities is a complicated topic but a technology solution that seems to have strong support from a majority of aldermen, shows a positive impact through an in-depth research analysis by the highly respected University of Chicago Crime Lab, and is requested by our Police force, needs to be strongly considered as one of many helpful tools to address crime in Chicago.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we address some of the world’s most complex issues, like human trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism. By following financial trails, organizations can uncover connections between these crimes and take action to disrupt them. One area that often goes overlooked is the link between human trafficking and money laundering within financial systems. Education and awareness are key to understanding how criminal networks operate—and the right tools can help map and address these hidden threats. Recent collaborations across sectors, from Homeland Security to financial institutions, have shown the power of combining technology, data, and human expertise. In one case, intelligence-driven mapping helped identify a network of human traffickers linked to weapons and drug smuggling, leading to arrests and indictments. These stories remind us of the impact we can have when we collaborate to fight organized crime. How do you see AI and data shaping the future of public safety and combating illicit activity? #AI #HumanTrafficking #CyberSecurity #OrganizedCrime #Innovation #AntiMoneyLaundering #DataMapping #TechForGood #PublicSafety #Collaboration