1. Using Computers to Predict Crimes The Santa Cruz police department is currently testing a computer program that predicts where crimes will occur and then sending officers to those areas before incidents arise. The program, which was created by mathematicians, an anthropologist and a criminologist, is similar to an algorithm used to predict earthquakes. To date, this predictive policing has led to a 19% decrease in burglaries.

2. Automatic Number Plate Recognition System This mass surveillance method uses optical character recognition in images to read vehicle license plates. It can be used by police forces as a method of electronic toll collection and to catalogue the movements of a mass of commuters, or even individuals. This tech is already being used in many cities around the world. Speeders, beware!

4. Pollen-coated Bullets to Help Identify Shooters Bullets that are recovered at crime scenes are generally identified, to some degree, by a team of ballistics experts. But those experts are generally unable to identify who fired the gun. Scientists have now discovered that dipping bullets in a solution and then using flower pollen turns up 53% more viable DNA evidence. This technology is still under development, but if it catches on, it could not only help solve gun crime, but also act as a deterrent to criminals using firearms. (Fiery bullet via Gl0ck/Shutterstock)

5. Using A Smartphone App to Report Crimes In West Virginia, if you see a crime, you don’t have to make a phone call now. Just download the Suspicious Activity Reporting Application, which is available for both iPhone and Android. You can use the app to submit a photo, location, detailed descriptions, all while remaining anonymous, if you prefer.

6. Questionable Observer Detector The Questionable Observer Detector (QuOD) was created at the University of Notre Dame as a tool to identify criminals who return to the crime scene. It processes surveillance video clips of groups of people present at the scene, spanning different times and locations to pick out any person who appears frequently.

7. New Blood Spatter Analysis Techniques This one is something out of Dexter. New breakthroughs in analyzing blood spatters, without damaging evidence at the scene, will make forensics a little bit easier. From a new infrared camera that exposes microscopic traces of blood to new techniques on how to analyze the findings, it’s getting more difficult for the criminal to cover his or her tracks. (Blood spatter image via Ultrashock/Shutterstock)

9. Temporal Video Filtering We see it on TV all the time: a forensics tech in a lab magnifying and re-focusing on video footage. At MIT, though, researchers have taken this one step further. Their Eulerian Video Magnification can zoom in and construct an image so well that you can measure a person’s pulse by zooming in on an image of their arm. This is done by separating out each pixel from a video and then looking for changes in color over time. This technology could give police officers super-human sight and catch easy-to-miss details on crime footage video.

10. Crime-fighting Drones The military has successfully been using drones for the past few years, but the technology can also help fight crime. The first successful use of a drone by police resulted in the arrest of a car thief. The drone which comes equipped with an on-board camera, used thermal imaging to help pick out the suspect through body heat. (Image via here)

12. High Resolution Fingerprinting Chinese forensic scientists at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou have come up with a way to visualize fingerprints from a crime scene, without the need for dusting. The new procedure works by applying an electric charge to highlight fingerprint samples on a glass plate. The result is a print with far more definition than when dusting is used, and the same technique can produce pint negatives, which can reveal even more. (Glowing fingerprint image via kovacsf/Shutterstock)

13. Smarter Surveillance Researchers at Kingston University have created a CCTV system that doesn’t just show criminal behavior, but that also monitors suspicious behavior and tracks suspects. The new CCTV uses artificial intelligence to pick up on certain types of behaviors (for example, someone holding a gun) and is capable of following a person across multiple cameras. Cross-breed it with this eerily omnipotent software from Hitachi, which sorts 36 million faces a second to find the right one, and you've got yourself one smart security network. (Security camera image via SOMATUSCAN/Shutterstock)

3. Mind Reading Helmet Many criminals know how to cheat the lie detector test and let’s face it, they are not 100% accurate. Enter the mind-reading helmet. It’s hard to lie to something that’s reading your brain. Several are in the works, including a helmet being created by Veritas Scientific. The EEG helmet will work by reading the brain activity of subjects as they are shown images or given bits of information. The helmet would measure the brain's response. If police use the device to interrogate a suspect who claims to know nothing about a crime and denies recognizing any associated images, the helmet is able to catch the lie.

8. Virtual Reality Crime Technique Maps Researchers from the University of Salamanca have developed a new procedure to help police extract data from crime scenes from just one photograph. In fact, this new technique makes it possible to construct a crime scene in 3D. Previously, in order to construct an accurate crime scene, several photos were required, but using just one photo can cut down on irregularities. (Crime scene investigation photo via Jeff Banke/Shutterstock)

11. Crime-fighting Armored Gloves Known as the BodyGuard, the crime fighting glove comes equipped with its own video camera and stun gun. Intended to prevent violent situations, it was invented by David Brown. The glove weighs less than three pounds and is encased in a hard shell that extends across the forearm. It debuted in May at the U.S. Department of Justice’s annual training event.

14. The MinION DNA evidence can pinpoint a criminal, but part of the problem is the amount of time it takes to get results. However, Oxford Nanopore Technologies has created a USB stick, called the minION, can unravel DNA strings in a few seconds. This device could allow police officers to work up DNA profiles in the field without waiting for a lab. That'd be huge.