A new online crime map lets Wichitans see what’s being reported in their neighborhoods in almost real time.
The new Community Crime Map at http://communitycrimemap.com is searchable and updated daily by the Wichita Police Department. The interactive map shows information about local crimes and sex offenders going back to 2009.
The crime locations are noted by easy-to-see icons.
The map also shows crime information for cities across the United States.
Deputy Police Chief Troy Livingston told KMUW Radio the mapping service provides crime analysis for the community and law enforcement.
“This gives us the opportunity to schedule smarter so really we can shift resources to the ‘hot spots’ and then crime-specific policing in those hot spots to help combat the problem,” Livingston said.
In addition to crime incidents, the map also shows boundaries for police beats, bureaus, Wichita City Council districts and the Wichita Public School District.
The website allows users to sign up for email alerts that can be sent daily, weekly or monthly.
Livingston said when people are aware of what’s going on around them, they are better witnesses, better reporters of crime and they do things that make themselves less likely to be crime victims.
“So if you see that your neighborhood is experiencing larcenies or burglaries to automobiles, that would be a good reminder to take your items in with you—don’t leave anything in the car, lock your car and turn on your porch light,” he said. “We think that citizens will be much more powerful in combating crime with this information.”
The Wichita Police Department is collaborating with the computer-assisted research company Lexis-Nexis for the crime data map. Livingston says the department has been working to purchase and implement the crime-analysis software package since 2012.
Sedgwick County launched a similar crime map last fall that uses data from the sheriff’s office. It can be accessed at https://gismaps.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriff/wgo/
– Deborah Shaar, KMUW
http://kmuw.org/post/wichita-police-tracking-crime-hot-spots-new-searchable-map