A growing number of police departments are publishing online maps that display crime information, giving civilians the inside scoop on neighborhood safety.
While departments previously needed robust technology capabilities to publish such information – limiting the service to large metropolitan agencies – new technology has opened the door for departments of all sizes.
“It’s a very affordable way to provide a service to your community which I think is useful,” said Sanford Police Chief Thomas Connolly, whose agency pays crimereports.com $200 a month for a mapping service accessed from the department’s Web page. “For the amount of money put in and the effort it requires, it’s basically a gold mine.”
Portland is the latest to join the effort. It is enjoying a free one-year trial after crime analyst Lisa Boisvert won a door prize at a workshop.
Assistant Chief Michael Sauschuck said the mapping service allows the department to push useful information out to the community.
Portland’s crime map now appears in the Special Features section of the MaineToday website, pressherald.com.
Now South Portland is exploring whether its data can be included in the Portland mapping contract. The cities, along with Cape Elizabeth, share the same records management system.
“I think the value of it is allowing residents to get a better picture of what’s going on in the community,” said South Portland Police Chief Ed Googins. “It will help us in crime prevention efforts and general awareness for residents.”
Local police data are downloaded daily by North Carolina-based Geographic Technologies Group, which then displays the information on a Google map.
The map includes incidents to which police respond, including assaults, robberies, thefts, sexual assaults, burglaries, drug offenses and vandalism.
Displaying South Portland incidents on the map would require a simple computer command.
The Lewiston Police department was first in the state to launch a Web-based crime map using the Raidsonline product.
In each case, icons appear on the map showing different property or violent crimes. Viewers can adjust the time period shown and can narrow the map’s focus to a specific neighborhood.
Connolly came to Sanford from Prince George’s County, Md., a major department that had developed its own, expensive mapping system for crime analysis.
The lower crime rate and population in Sanford wouldn’t justify that investment, Connolly said, but the Web-based service is affordable and adequate for residents and police.
“You can look at the map and you can see clusters. From a police standpoint, where you see clusters is where you want to put your resources,” he said.
“The absolute best scenario is to have the community ask to work with me,” he said. “‘What can we do to work with the police department to deter this kind of crime in our neighborhood?’“
Staff Writer David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at: dhench@pressherald.com
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