The Bothell Police Department implemented a web-based program to give the community information on crime in their area.
CrimeMaping.com provides crime data that is extracted from the Police Department’s records system, allowing citizens to view crime data by various search parameters, to include a date range, crime type or distance from a specific address. The data will be illustrated on a map depicted by various crime type icons.
“This is a program we have been looking at for a few years now,” said Sgt. Ken Seuberlich, at Bothell Police Department. “I think this will greatly benefit our citizens because it will give them a better feeling of what’s going on in their area and jurisdiction.”
The map’s icons contain general details of the incident as well as other useful links, such as crime prevention tips. Community members will also be able to develop queries specific to their own interests and automatically receive e-mails with crime information updates.
“Many of our surrounding police agencies have utilized crime mapping and we thought this was the right time for us,” Seuberlich said. “We had been getting a lot of calls from residents asking about crime in their neighborhoods and people looking to move into our area inquiring about crime. So this tool fits that need.”
There is a Crime Mapping application available for download on iPhones as well.
“This tool is designed to be really convenient for the end user,” Seuberlich said.
Seuberlich said he hoped this would make the public more comfortable building relationships with the police.
“We want this to create more conversations between the police department and the public,” he said.
Although there can’t be a way to track down if this new tool will aid in decreasing crime in the area, Seuberlich believes it might.
“By giving out information to the public as best we can, it just can’t hurt,” he said. “For example, if they log on and see there have been a lot of vehicle prowls in their neighborhood, they are more likely to be on the lookout and report suspicious activity to us.”
To view crime in the Bothell area, visit www.crimemapping.com.
