( KTRS ) Starting this week, the St. Louis County Police Department will begin using a predictive policing service called “HunchLab”. Officials say the service will make it easier for police to pinpoint what areas are at the highest risk of crime.

Chief Jon Belmar said “Not only is using predictive policing a step forward for our crime reduction strategies, it is another example of our department bringing the latest technology to the citizens of St. Louis County.”

HunchLab is a product offered from the Philadelphia based company, Azavea.

The service itself takes crime data provided by departments and uses computer algorithms to determine the highest risk areas for crime. The St. Louis County Police Department will be one of the only departments in the Midwest to use the service and the only department in the St. Louis area to use predictive policing technology.