Is Your Police Department Getting Public Crime Mapping For Free?

By
When SpotCrime launched in 2007, we were one of the only companies to offer free crime mapping to every agency in US. That same year, the price of crime mapping services averaged between $20,000 to $300,000 per agency.

Just recently, the reportedly largest police vendor crime mapping company, CrimeReports.com, announced they are finally giving away their crime mapping for free to all police agencies.

The only other large scale crime mapping vendor that still requires payment from police departments is CrimeMapping.com. If your agency is paying for public crime mapping, we recommend you ask about the free options.

We think SpotCrime's competitive and innovative approach has made an impact on the cost of public crime mapping for everyone. With over 70 million alerts sent this year alone, we feel we've made an impact in actually getting crime information to the public as well.

Unfortunately, vendor crime mapping companies in the market today still lock up public crime data. They get hired to make the data public and then add restrictions on how the public can use the data. This prevents the public from using and sharing the information, and limits how the press reports on the crime data.

Our hope is that all agencies across the US will continue to embrace the benefits behind opening up crime data. We need your help in stopping this game of 'Public Crime Data Keep Away'.

If your local police agency doesn't have a public feed accessible to everyone without restrictions, reach out and ask them to create one. Let them know there are free resources available to them. If they aren't sure where to start, have them contact us, we'll be happy to help!

Let's all help make public crime data fully public.

Sincerely,

Colin Drane
Founder
Feedback@SpotCrime.com
619.663.7768

Please check out our mobile friendly website, SpotCrime.info

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Transparency, gun violence, crime data

By
Image
New police chief promises trust and transparency, better crime data means better crime policy, racial profiling, Boeing criminal charges, family violence, gun violence public health crisis, active shooters targeting public spiked, Biden gun safety law, gun violence, automated license plate readers, gunshot detection software, body cam transparency, California in contempt over prison mental health staffing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 'Trust, confidence, transparency' — Chatham-Kent gets new police chief  (Windsor Star) This police department's autism unit is saving lives  (Red River Radio) see also:  Alternative 911 Responses Can Build Trust and Improve Outcomes  (Governing) Better Crime Data, Better Crime Policy  (Council on Criminal Justice) Pinellas officers track where people sleep outside ahead of DeSantis law  (Tampa Bay Times) Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project releases annual report on traffic stops  (Fox61) Boeing should face crim...
Read more

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: AI, police conduct, transparency

By protector
Image
Police conduct, retired officers back to work, misconduct files released, lack of data stalling cases, association between food insecurity and intimate partner violence, crime victim federal aid drops, crimes against USPS workers, AI in policing, police tech and AI ease workforce woes, WisDOJ sued over police transparency, states that publish current crime data, independent oversight for federal prison system, and more... POLICE CONDUCT N.M. Police Department to Bring Retired Officers Back to Work  (Officer.com) New Louisiana law will criminalize approaching police under certain circumstances  (KGET) Chicago police misconduct files will soon be made public. ‘This is a huge step forward for transparency’  (Chicago Sun Times) A cop gave Fresno man a jaywalking ticket. Then came ‘campaign of hate and revenge’  (Fresno Bee) George Floyd’s murder led to a national reckoning on policing, but efforts have stalled or reversed  (NBC News) L.A.’s dirtiest cop: A mild-mann...
Read more

SpotCrime Weekly Reads: Violent crime, AI tech, transparency

By
Image
Fired cops, police advisory committee, police community relations, traffic stops clogging courts, police discipline records, National Crime Victimization Survey, stranger danger and violent crime, reducing gun crime, stolen guns, rap music used as evidence to convict, AI tool in criminal cases faces legal challenges, AI cameras, drones respond to 911 calls, police transparency in Pittsburgh, police data transparency, dashboards for criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT The Police Department for Fired Cops  (Illinois Answers Project) New police advisory committee formed after changes from state law  (Fox13Memphis) Using basketball to improve police-community relations and lower gun violence  (The Philadelphia Inquirer) In Memphis, Minor Traffic Stops are Clogging Courts and Draining Resources  (Vera.org) Yonkers PD must hand over police discipline records to civil liberties group, judge rules  (AOL) CRIME RATE National Crime Victimization Survey: Prevalenc...
Read more