Jul 8, 2009 10:46 pm US/Eastern
Mapping Web Sites Track Neighborhood Crime
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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CrimeReport.com is one of several new Web sites that allow police departments to update residents of neighborhood crime.
WBZ
Usually when a crime happens in a neighborhood, residents don't find out until it's in their weekly local newspaper or they hear about it from neighbors. The result: information often isn't available until long after the incident.
Some police departments are now offering their residents a way to find out valuable information almost immediately after it happens.
Greg Whisenant has created
www.crimereports.com. It's one of several mapping Web sites that tie into dispatch centers at local police departments and informs residents, almost in real time, of what is going on in their city or town.
So, if there is a rash of burglaries or car break-ins, they might be able to act in a timely fashion. For example, Whisenant was able to show how Brookline police responded to a theft on June 9 on a particular block of a local street.
SITES MAY HELP SOLVE MORE CRIMES
As Whisenant explains, "Basically, a person can come to the Web site, type in their home address, and it will quickly show them their home with a Google map interface, and they can quickly see if any of the crimes that have been happening."
Malden police Chief Ken Coye was one of the first in Massachusetts to sign up. "We believe this is very important for transparency."
He also believes it can help be a crime deterrent. "It will make people in neighborhoods much more aware of what is going on in their neighborhoods, and as result, they will look to partner with the police for crime watches."
HOME BUYERS CHECK NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME
Here's one example of how someone might use one of these crime mapping sites. If a person was interested in renting or buying a home on Wadsworth Street in Malden, he could look up past criminal activity in that area for a certain time range. Then he would know ahead of time that someone on the 100 block recently had their car broken into. Another feature allows for e-mail alerts when a crime in a particular area occurs.
There are some limitations, however, on the extent of information provided. Coye says exact address is not provided, just the block on a street, to protect the privacy of victims.
DATA MAY BE CONFUSING
Northeastern University criminologist James Fox, PH.D thinks this concept is still developing and that there are some risks to using it. He believes average people won't really understand all the data or necessarily be able to put it in the proper context.
"It is far more difficult to interpret these data than many people would believe, and I would hate to see citizens misled, misinformed, and scared out of their minds when it would be inappropriate," he said.
Proponents like Whisenant counter that information is power. "It's better to know what is happening."
This service is free for the public. Individual police departments pay up to $200 for the software to connect their dispatch center with the site.
The following Massachusetts communities are currently signed up on www.crimereports.com.
Barnstable
Billerica
Boston
Brookline
Haverhill
Greenfield
Leominster
Malden
Medford
Yarmouth
The following communities will be on www.crimereports.com in the near future:
Arlington
Ashland
Marlborough
Two similar sites are
www.crimemapping.com and
www.everyblock.com.
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