What if America tried to eliminate crime instead of just reacting to it? Not with slogans, but with staffing, technology, and strategy scaled to the problem.

In this episode, Erik Torenberg speaks with Garrett Langley, founder and CEO of Flock Safety, and Ben Horowitz, cofounder of a16z, about what is happening in the cities that are trying. Flock now works with over 5,000 communities to detect crime, recover missing children, and close cases faster than ever. Ben has been closely involved in Las Vegas, where Flock technology, drones, and community policing have raised clearance rates while reducing use of force.

They outline what a real national crime-reduction strategy could look like: solving the police staffing crisis, using intelligence to make policing safer, understanding why clearance rates have collapsed, and how public–private partnerships are filling gaps cities cannot. They also tackle the hard questions around privacy, criminal justice failures, and the hidden role of organized crime in everyday offenses.

Timecodes:
0:00 — Introduction: The Cost of Not Enforcing Crime
1:29 — Teach for America Model for Law Enforcement
3:56 — The People Problem: Cultural Shift in Policing
8:28 — Technology Stack: Products for Crime Prevention
12:11 — Deterrence vs. Incarceration
16:15 — Intelligence-Based Policing
19:57 — Why Crime Clearance Rates Are Dropping
25:00 — Vegas Case Study: Community Response
28:10 — Private Funding for Police Innovation
34:05 — Addressing Privacy and Trust Concerns
38:53 — Prison Reform and Rehabilitation
43:44 — Crime Statistics and Reporting Issues
47:08 — Data Retention and Sharing Policies
51:52 — Organized Crime and Sophisticated Operations
54:16 — The Future of Policing: Intelligence and Precision
57:07 — Success Stories: Saving Missing Children

Read the full transcript here: https://www.a16z.news/s/podcast

Resources:
Follow Garrett on X: https://twitter.com/glangley
Follow Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see a16z.com/disclosures.