SPOTCRIME PARTNERS WITH THE DEALMAP TO PROVIDE LOCALIZED CONSUMER SALES INFORMATION

BALTIMORE, MD (12/14/10) --- SpotCrime – the most comprehensive online source for crime data – has signed a deal with DealMap that will allow SpotCrime users to receive valuable localized content, including coupons, ads, and other discounts.

“SpotCrime’s geocoding allows for the delivery of highly localized content, such as ads or discounts from retail outlets, that are located within a five-mile radius of the user,” explains SpotCrime Founder and President Colin Drane.

“Because this content is localized, there is a much higher probability that users will not only see an ad or a coupon, but will actually use it, and that represents a win for both the SpotCrime user and the advertiser,” Drane continues.

Through its proprietary model, SpotCrime pulls crime incident data from multiple sources, including state and local police departments and validated news sources, to produce a comprehensive record of local crime information.

Over the past two years, Baltimore-based SpotCrime has become the most visited crime mapping website in the U.S. The company currently sends 100,000 email alerts daily and expects to surpass 200,000 subscribers by the end of this year.

Much of this growth has come through the partnerships SpotCrime has forged with major media companies such as The New York Times Regional Papers, Cox Media, Newport Television, Capital Broadcasting, Hearst, Media General, and Belo Television.

The newest of those media partnerships include recently signed deals with Sinclair Media’s Columbus, Ohio media outlet and Gannett, an international media company providing millions of people with information through multiple platforms, including the Internet, mobile, magazines, TV, and newspapers like USA Today.

SpotCrime also has seen its use skyrocket on DIRECTV. According to Drane, DIRECTV customers have made SpotCrime’s TV App one of the fastest growing applications offered by the popular video service. With 33,000 users, the SpotCrime TV App is second only to DIRECTV’s Facebook Application.

The TV App, introduced to DIRECTV customers last March, provides up-to-date details about actual crime incidents that have taken place, as well as real-time personal and property safety ratings in specific areas.

SpotCrime also launched an iPhone application last year which is now available to iPad users. In addition to providing crime data by proximity of date, the SpotCrime iPhone app allows users to obtain detailed descriptions of the crimes listed and share crime incidents with others via email.

Users can also access MyLocalCrime.com – a more user-friendly version of the SpotCrime website that provides a snapshot of crime occurrences in the blocks surrounding an individual’s home, workplace, or another address -- simply by visiting the url through the browser.

“We are committed to constantly finding new and innovative ways to provide timely crime information to the public,” says Drane.

“SpotCrime was founded on the principle that information is power, and it is the right of every citizen to have easy access to crime information in their neighborhood,” Drane continues. “We believe that with our information, citizens’ awareness of their surroundings will increase and, as a result, they will be able to make safer decisions. There is wisdom in the noise and we hope to draw attention to crime hot spots to help direct policy and resources in the prevention of crime.”

To that end, Drane encourages individuals to sign-up for SpotCrime’s free crime mapping service. SpotCrime sends its subscribers regular email alerts detailing reported crimes within a two-mile radius of a designated location, such as their home or workplace.

Drane adds that no taxpayer dollars are used for SpotCrime and the crime data available on the site is made available free of charge to police departments and the public.

For more information about SpotCrime and how to sign up to receive regular SpotCrime reports, visit the company’s website at www.spotcrime.com.