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APD trying out crime predictive technology

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department is showing off new technology intended to help officers predict where criminals will strike next.

"It's about deterring crime. We want it to stop before it happens," Lt. LeAnn Browning told Channel 2's Ryan Young.

The system is called Pred Pol, and Atlanta's Police Chief George Turner said he believes it helps push the city to the forefront of new technology.

"It allows us to predict where that next crime is going to occur. It makes us smarter. It puts us on the cutting edge in what's going on in this country in crime fighting," Turner said.

Young rode along with Officer Omari Price to one spot where the system predicted a crime would happen.

"Since its inception, crime has dropped on my beat," Price said.

Pred Pol is being used under a trial basis before the entire city gets the system, but every crime in the area gets fed into a computer system every five minutes, and the system makes updates every 8 hours.

"It's like the perfect ally. We have the perfect sidekick that's already looking ahead and telling you what's going to happen next," Price said.

The Atlanta Police Foundation is footing the bill for the new system, not the tax payers.