SoundThinking, Maker of ShotSpotter, Is Buying Parts of PredPol Creator Geolitica

SoundThinking, the company behind the gunshot-detection system ShotSpotter, is quietly acquiring staff, patents, and customers of the firm that created the notorious predictive policing software PredPol, WIRED has learned...

And while SoundThinking has rebranded predictive policing as resource management for police departments, a WIRED analysis of one of the companys apps found that crime-forecasting technology remains one of its key offerings...

The idea, he says, is that by controlling the data backbone of a police department and offering predictive analytics as integrated parts of their backend operations, policing platforms like SoundThinkings SafetySmart Platform are vying to become indispensable parts of public safety infrastructure...

SoundThinking says that Geoliticas engineering staff and IP are being incorporated into the team developing ResourceRouter, an app that directs officers to patrol locations that the companys algorithms determine have the highest risk for crime. While the app makes crime forecasts in order to determine when and where police should patrol, SoundThinking denies that the tool engages in predictive policing..

If its based on historical biased policing data suggesting a lot of crimes in one particular area, she says, its not going not going to address the underlying problem that caused the algorithmic overemphasis on that area.. SoundThinking already appears to be selling its new technology offerings to existing customers..

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