Norcross Police Chief on Predicting Crime, Decreasing Roadblocks and the Increase in Service Calls

Norcross Police Chief Warren Summers spoke at this week's PDC meeting in front of local business owners and residents to give an update on what the police department has been up to recently.

While he talked mostly about what the city is doing to decrease the crime reported in the Hispanic community, he also touched on other topics:

Dramatic increase in service calls: Compared to previous years, the city has seen an uptick in the number of calls for services, which include everything from crimes to missing elders to noise complaints. From January to May in 2011, there were more than 81,000 calls were made in Norcross. During those months in 2012 after annexing east Norcross, nearly 11,000 calls were received. So far this year, Norcross Police have had more than 13,300 calls.

Predicting crime: The police department is seeing if it can use drug money to get a contract with Minority Report, a software program that predicts crime. According to Summers, the program is based on three variables: The date and time of a crime, its location and the type of crime. The software then puts everything into an algorithm that predicts when and where criminals may strike next. Summers said the Atlanta Police Department and several departments in California have implemented the program. This report by ABC News details one department's success in the program.

Outside criminals: The police chief said most criminals involved in Norcross incidents are from outside the city.

Street closures: Being summer time, Norcross is no stranger to 5K races and fun runs. With these races, the police are having to block off streets, sometimes the busy Holcomb Bridge Road, for public safety. What the police department, city staff and the Atlanta Track Club have decided to do is design four routes that future race organizations can choose from to decrease the number of streets that are blocked off. And "none of them cross over Holcomb Bridge Road," which can be a first safety issue, according to Summers.

See also:

• Norcross Police Chief: We're Taking Steps to Better Assist Hispanic Community
• Norcross Police Chief: 2012 Crime Stats Are 'New Normal'

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