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Predictive Policing

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Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Synonyms

Forecasting crime or crime forecasting

Overview

Predictive policing is a new concept for law enforcement in the twenty-first century. While still in its infancy and relatively untested, predictive policing has the potential to change the way in which law enforcement deals with crime and victims. This entry describes predictive policing in terms of its definition and roots, the theories and models that have been developed, applications in law enforcement, and the issues that surround it.

Conceptually, predictive policing involves the use of data and predictive analytics to predict or forecast where and when the next crime or series of crimes will take place. The concept has engendered new terminology in law enforcement. “Predictive analytics,” “data mining,” “nonobvious relationships,” and “predictive spatial analysis” are among the new phrases used by chief executives, policy makers, and researchers to describe aspects of predictive policing. These and other phrases will be...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Justice and Security Strategies, Inc., PO Box 6188, Silver Spring, MD, 20916, USA

    Craig D. Uchida

Authors
  1. Craig D. Uchida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig D. Uchida .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  2. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  3. Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    David Weisburd

  4. Faculty of Law, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Weisburd

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Uchida, C.D. (2014). Predictive Policing. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_260

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_260

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5689-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5690-2

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