IBM, City of Fort Lauderdale Collaborate to Bolster Anti-Crime Resources

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the City of Fort Lauderdale, today announced a first-of-a-kind research and development relationship that will enable the City to be a leader in crime prevention and a national role model for other communities through the use of innovative police operations planning.

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IBM researchers are collaborating with Fort Lauderdale to create a solution to take advantage of new and advanced data and analytics tools that will assist in optimizing resources. Initially, the project will focus on increasing the likelihood of deterring crime.  Specifically, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department will utilize the new capabilities to better identify where to deploy its resources for maximum impact.

The project will analyze a variety of complex sources of Big Data including 911 call records, crime records, specials events information, public transportation routes, code enforcement and building permit activity.  Data will be analyzed using a combination of advanced analytics technologies, including pattern recognition/discovery, factor/causality analysis and anomaly detection.

"Nine out of ten City residents feel safe in our neighborhoods and at our special events," said Fort Lauderdale Mayor John P. "Jack" Seiler, citing data from a recent Neighbor Survey.  "While these are excellent results, our efforts to prevent crime remain a high priority, and our ability to continue to ensure the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors remains essential to preserving our outstanding quality of life.  Our work with IBM will better position us to evolve from a City that responds to crime, to one that has the skills and operational resources to prevent crime before it happens."

As city agencies are under increasing pressure to provide the same level of service with fewer resources, it has become vital that cities take full advantage of their existing assets.

By using up-to-date information and advanced predictive models, the Police Chief, command staff, and officers will be able to better understand the current situation and trends. They will obtain a deeper level of knowledge regarding possible contributing factors of crimes and foresee the demand for service at a more granular level of time and location. The project will allow police to be more effective and efficient with existing resources. In turn, this will enable the Fort Lauderdale Police Department to move operations from reactive to proactive, leading to a safer city.

"We're entering a new era of police work where advances in technology are providing us with an additional tool to use in our crime prevention efforts," said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley.  "Integrating advanced data analysis into our operational strategies will help us maximize resources and stay one step ahead of the criminals."

The solution will allow city officials to:

• More effectively and dynamically enable proactive patrol planning
• Provide access to the right information at the right time
• Help increase the understanding of key crime factors
• Assist in identifying gaps between resource and demand

"The challenge of ensuring the safety and protection of the community with a shrinking budget isn't unique to Fort Lauderdale," said James Lingerfelt, IBM public safety manager for Global Smarter Cities. "Through our collaboration with the City, we will be able to develop and fine tune advanced solutions to ensure the Police Department has the ability to utilize every asset at its disposal."

For instance, a district commander could use the solution to better understand what has happened throughout the district over a specific period of time. In doing so, the commander may make the decision to redeploy officers based on recent activities. This will not only allow the district commander to more efficiently place officers in areas that require a larger police presence, but will also assess the effectiveness of the decisions being made.

For more information IBM Smarter Public Safety, visit http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/public_safety/ideas/.

CONTACT:  Alexander Aizenberg, IBM Media Relations, 1-212-671-9616, [email protected]

SOURCE IBM