The Santa Cruz Police Department's predictive policing pilot program has received national coverage this week. The New York Times featured an article about the program and tonight ABC World News Tonight will feature a segment. Tomorrow, NBC Nightly News will run a segment on the program developed by Santa Clara University professor George Mohler.
Dr. Mohler worked with Zach Friend and the management team at Santa Cruz Police led by Chief Vogel and Deputy Chiefs Rick Martinez and Steve Clark to develop a workable interface for law enforcement. The program, started on July 1st, has been successful in predicting hot spots associated with burglaries and auto theft. While the program is too new to deem a success, the model has aided the agency in deploying resources in a more efficient and effective way. The trial period for the program ends on December 31st, at which time it will be evaluated to see if it will be continued.
