In Chicago, they call it putting the Cops on the Dots. Others call it "hotspot policing", and all across America, the approach has played a critical role in dramatic reductions in crime. The concept is simply this: Most crime is committed by a surprisingly small number of people. Target those criminals and allocate your resources to putting them out of businesses. At the core of this concept is information- knowing who the criminals are and acquiring enough evidence to make arrests. That's where Chicago stands out. Police officers have invented an information gathering and dissemination system, called CLEAR, that not only has driven down crime in Chicago, but has empowered police officers across the nation, not with guns, but with laptops.
