How a Sentiment Meter Helps Cops Understand Their Precincts

Published: July 16, 2018, 4:33 p.m.

Three weeks into his new job as commanding officer of Manhattan\u2019s 20th precinct, Captain Timothy J. Malin stared at a map on his computer screen, puzzled. It showed his jurisdiction carved up by streets and parks, with the southern edge encased in an ominous shade of red. For decades, the New York Police Department has used real-time statistics to chart spikes in violence and calibrate police activity across the city.