We Can (and Do) Solve Crime

https://a16z.com/we-can-and-are-solving-crime/
  • Crime clearance rates collapsed: 90%+ in 1961 → sub-50% by 2021.
    • Police staffing simultaneously dropped across major departments.
  • Flock (Garrett Langley + Matt Feury) built cheap ALPR on mobile processors.
    • Ditched expensive infrastructure; computer vision catches plate-less and covered plates.
  • Flock claims ~700,000 crimes solved annually; 1,000+ missing persons found.
  • Tulsa: 100% homicide solve rate in 2024 — first time since 1979.
    • Lakewood, WA: first homicide-free year in two decades.
    • Las Vegas: 20%+ YoY crime decline.
  • Thesis: technology democratizes elite investigative capability to under-resourced departments.
    • Precision tools replace broad profiling — better outcomes with fewer officers.

David Ulevitch and Alex Immerman (a16z American Dynamism) · 2026-04-06 · Read on a16z.com


Type Link
Added Apr 6, 2026
Modified Apr 15, 2026