Crime Reports.com website shares crime data with the public.
A growing number of police departments — nearly 1,000 nationwide — are using online crime mapping services to grab data from their police reports, identify crime trends and then push the information to the public through online maps and e-mail alerts.
"The more people understand what's going on in a neighborhood, the more they can respond to it," says East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis, who began using one such mapping program, CrimeReports.com, six months ago.
Crime mapping services report an increase in the number of police department subscribers:
• CrimeReports.com, which signed up its first agency, Washington's Metropolitan Police, in June 2007, has a roster of about 500 departments and 40 to 50 agencies coming online each month, says founder Greg Whisenant. Computer programs analyze electronic dispatch records and crime reports for common characteristics to create charts and maps, he says.
"Knowing about crime in your neighborhood will help you take action, even if it's as simple as turning on a porch light," Whisenant says.
CrimeReports.com charges police agencies $100 to $200 a month for the service.
What is CrimeReports.com?
CrimeReports.com provides law enforcement agencies with an affordable and easy-to-use Web-based service for managing and controlling the sharing of crime data with the public, in near real-time. Community members can then access their neighborhood crime information for free, empowering them to make informed decisions to help improve the safety of their families, friends, property and the community at large. Back to the top.
Why we created this site:
CrimeReports.com was created to help law enforcement agencies put crime data in the hands of those who care about it most—citizens. While crime statistics in a specific city may be available, they may not be accessible. CrimeReports.com standardizes the way law enforcement agencies communicate crime data to the public, down to the specific neighborhood or block they live on.
Link: http://crimereports.com/