He began his criminal career with a burglary in 2000. Before he turned 40, he racked up 16 felony convictions. Though he was versatile – stealing cars, committing identify theft, and dabbling in drugs, burglary remained his crime of choice.
This year he went on a short crime spree, which included yet another burglary. Our new data-driven system identified him as a High Priority Offender (HPO) based on his conduct and history. He was charged, convicted, and recently sentenced to several years in prison.
This was the 500th HPO case.
“We are focusing resources on the small percentage of criminals who are causing a large percentage of crimes,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “We are using data and technology to identify the worst offenders, the career criminals, and take them off our streets.”
As part of our ongoing effort to keep our community safe, we began the HPO program in 2015 after a year of preparation. We studied similar data-driven programs on the East Coast, particularly in New York, and adapted the techniques for Pierce County. Consistent with the crime-fighting innovation we have demonstrated with our Elder Abuse Unit and gang sweeps, we are the first on the West Coast to implement this program.
Pierce County is booming. Population is up, crime is down. HPO is one of the reasons.