The crime rate in the U.S. may be decreasing, but the difficulty in solving crimes is increasing. Police departments and LEAs face complications in collecting, storing, and analyzing huge amounts of data on criminal activity. This data is often stored in different formats across different systems, making it difficult to quickly cross-reference information. In the case of major time-sensitive crimes, processing this data could mean the difference between life and death.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already revolutionized industries such as healthcare and finance. By analyzing high volumes of data quickly, AI helps create intelligence, detect patterns, and generate profiles. Analysts can then leverage this information to close more cases faster.
The Challenges Faced Today
Existing law enforcement data systems might help LEAs track crime, but they won’t necessarily offer the holistic solution needed to effectively fight crime. These platforms usually face one or more of these problems:
Too Much Data
The sheer volume of data involved in an investigation takes time to sift through. Most of this data comes in different formats – some of which is unstructured – making it difficult for analysts to query. LEAs need tools for filtering through large data sets quickly, even as those data sets continue to grow.
Too Little Time
As databases grow in size, the amount of time analysts need to review and process data grows exponentially. This includes the time needed to convert unstructured data into structured data, cross-reference between data sets, and manually review the results. Without a more efficient method, each of these processes will increasingly delay analysts.
High Skill Barriers
Using a solution effectively requires training, and analysts may be required to use a number of high-level skills including learning different data formats, databases, and data management solutions. The use of AI to process this data means analysts can instead focus their efforts on leveraging insights instead of manually collecting and aggregating data.
Solving Cases Faster and More Efficiently with AI
AI can automate the process of compiling and analyzing data, but it requires a data set in order to work. Big Data provides that data set by combining and structuring together multiple independent or unrelated databases. By fusing this data, Big Data creates a platform that AI can leverage to recognize patterns, find relationships, and derive intelligence. Analysts no longer need to manually search multiple databases or convert unstructured data into structured data. Where a team of analysts might spend days poring over data sets, AI and Big Data can accomplish the same thing faster and more effectively.
This is all made possible through a Unified Investigation Platform, a holistic solution that covers the entire lifecycle of an investigation. The Unified Investigation Platform presents the data and insights involved in an investigation in a single interface, allowing for easy cross referencing of data. By feeding into the Unified Investigation Platform, AI helps supply analysts and investigators get the information they need to solve cases more quickly.
How AI Can Help
By adopting a solution based on AI, law enforcement agencies can quickly convert large data sets into actionable insights, saving time and money, allowing PDs and LEAs to more easily accomplish their ultimate goal - keeping their communities safe. Lastly, as a benefit, AI can process this information constantly. Crime doesn't sleep, but neither do computers.
