Applying Artificial Intelligence to Person-Based Policing Practices, 2019-2023

In this project, the research team developed and evaluated an artificial intelligence (AI) tool using agent-based modeling methods for crime analysis and risk evaluation (CARE): CAREsim. The purpose of this tool was to improve the effectiveness of person-based patrol strategies, where police take preemptive actions upon selected high-risk individuals (determined based on factors known to police such as violent crime history) when predicted risks of committing crimes are high. CARESim was developed and tested with a simulated randomized controlled experiment within the jurisdiction of Hampton, Virginia. 240 high-risk individuals (120 in each group) were followed for a 12-month period, with the simulation lasting 23 months. The treatment group received additional crime analyses using the AI tool and more focused patrols, while the control group received analyses as usual and random patrols in the simulated environment. The tool was evaluated on a series of outcomes (e.g., number of crimes and arrests) comparing the control and treatment groups. This collection contains the simulated high-risk individual data (DS1) and the simulated crimes data (DS2) used for the experiment.