AST Digital Magazine September 2017 AST Digital Magazine September 2017 | Page 4

Volume 16
September 2017 Edition
Combating Violent Gun Crime with Data
Analytics
By Chief Eric Jones, Stockton Police Department
Police Department, is a competitor in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’
Homeland Security Awards Program for the Implementation
of a Cutting-Edge Virtual Crime Center
Data analytics – using massive quantities
of information to tease out previously un-
known or unconfirmed relationships – has
not been used that much in local law en-
forcement with the goal of reducing violent
crime.
But Stockton, Calif., had a huge problem
with firearm-related violence. (The northern California city aims to improve its image. Cour-
tesy of Forbes and YouTube. Posted on Feb 22, 2010)
In 2011 it was the second most violent city in
California, and 10th in the United States; Forbes
dubbed it “the most miserable city in America.” In 2012, PBS echoed that ranking, noting that the
city’s financial woes had resulted in a 27 percent
reduction of the police force, creating an opening
for even more violence.
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