“This new on-line system will better inform residents of property crimes in and around their neighborhoods, strengthen the partnership between the public and the Police Department, and provide a useful tool for citizens to get more engaged in solving the problem,” Chief Biehl said.
The Police Department developed the new system to track Part One property crimes over a three-month time period.
“Part One property crimes make up 85 percent of the overall Part One crime activity in the city, and these are the crimes that most affect and frustrate residents,” Chief Biehl said. “In fact, citizens are six times more likely to experience a property crime than a violent crime. By the same token, Part One property crimes can be greatly impacted by community participation and involvement. In making the property crime information more accessible and understandable, we hope citizens can play a more active role in the safety of their neighborhoods.”
The system will allow citizens to query property crimes by neighborhood for the most recent 90-day period. Users can select from a menu of various property crime categories, such as burglary, arson and theft from vehicles.
The search results are shown on a map of the city, with clickable pop-up icons that offer more detailed information for each offense. The information is updated daily based upon Police Department statistics.