PredPol Predictive Policing Software Adopted by 60 U.S. Police Departments

PredPol’s predictive policing software reaches widespread adoption across the United States, with almost 60 police departments using the technology by early 2015. Major cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and numerous smaller jurisdictions have implemented the algorithmic crime prediction system, representing the peak of predictive policing’s acceptance in American law enforcement.

The rapid expansion reflects broader trends in policing during this period, as departments increasingly turn to data-driven technologies promising to optimize resource allocation and reduce crime. A 2014 survey of 200 police departments found that 38% were already using predictive policing technologies, with 70% stating they planned to implement such systems within the next two to five years.

PredPol’s software analyzes historical crime data to generate daily predictions about where crimes are most likely to occur, directing patrol officers to specific geographic areas during specific time windows. The company markets the technology as a cost-effective force multiplier that allows departments to do more with existing resources.

However, the widespread adoption occurs without rigorous independent evaluation of the technology’s effectiveness or examination of its potential for perpetuating bias. The company keeps its exact client list confidential, and many departments implement the software without public notification or community input. Contracts for several cities including South Jordan, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Tacoma will end between 2014 and 2016, suggesting some departments are already questioning the technology’s value.

The expansion also takes place amid growing concerns from civil liberties advocates, academics, and community organizers about algorithmic bias in policing. Critics note that PredPol’s algorithms are trained on historical crime data that reflects decades of racially discriminatory policing practices. When algorithms learn from biased data, they perpetuate and amplify those biases, directing disproportionate police presence to predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods.

This dynamic creates a self-fulfilling prophecy: increased police presence in predicted “hot spots” leads to more arrests in those areas, which the algorithm interprets as validation of its predictions, leading to continued over-policing of the same communities. The cycle reinforces existing patterns of discriminatory law enforcement while providing a veneer of objectivity through mathematical formulas and data analysis.

By 2015, PredPol represents the leading vendor of predictive policing technology in the United States, but the foundation is already being laid for the critical scrutiny that will eventually force many jurisdictions to abandon the technology.