precrime

American  

[pree-krahym] / priˈkraɪm /

adjective

1. of or relating to law-enforcement efforts and strategies to deter crime by predicting when and where criminal activity will occur.

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Etymology

Origin of precrime

Coined in 1956 by Philip K. Dick in his science-fiction short story “The Minority Report”; pre- + crime

Example Sentences

In tests of such “precrime intervention,” the researchers showed they could stop an agent before it performed a prohibited action such as touching a red item.

From Science Magazine

It’s not to the point of Hollywood’s “Minority Report,” in which “Precrime” police use foreknowledge to arrest people before they commit crimes, but police across the country are turning to artificial intelligence to carry out their duties.

From Washington Times

The sheriff’s statement specifically mentions the 2002 film “Minority Report,” which starred Tom Cruise as chief of a “precrime” police bureau that arrests people before any crime is committed based on information provided by psychics.

From Washington Times

The PreCrime unit itself also has extensive surveillance abilities, monitoring public cameras or deploying spider-like retinal-scanning robots to crawl through buildings and identify those inside.

From The Verge

As Colin Ferrell’s Danny Witwer notes at one point, they’re arresting people who haven’t committed a crime, while billboards simultaneously present compelling examples of people who would have otherwise died, had it not been for PreCrime.

From The Verge