Finding effective ways to police the nation's second-largest city is a constant battle. In order to do so more effectively, the LAPD has turned to technology.

The department's CompStat unit is a place where cops study past crime data and use it to predict what may happen in the future.

"Information can lead you to make good decisions," one member of the LAPD says. "It's shown in a business model every day. All we're doing is moving that to police work."

Analyzing maps and information with scholars at UCLA, the LAPD hopes to pick up on criminal behavior patterns early on.