Chicago gets high tech in hunting, killing rats
Rats beware. Chicago is getting high tech in its efforts to wipe out vermin.
It's going citywide with computerized data analysis that it has been testing. The program predicts where rodents will turn up based on 311 complaints about things like overflowing trash bins, stray animals and vacant lots.
WBBM radio reported that armed with that intel, city teams can pinpoint the best spots for placing rat poison.
City of Chicago Chief Information Officer Brenna Berman says that in the past crews had to spend a lot of time laying down bait based on conditions they saw on the streets, past experience and little more than hunches or intuition.
Now, he says, they can spend more time placing traps and in areas more likely to draw out rats.
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