SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

It's almost 2021. Can crime data be easier to collect? Data is the lifeblood of a functioning government. Preventing, reducing, and addressing crime is the top priority of any police agency. Any effective and community minded police agency wants to increase the number of stakeholders it collaborates with to prevent, reduce, and respond to crime. Addressing police reform or any government policy requires data. So, why in 2020 is it still hard to collect public crime data (RMS/CAD datasets aka the crime blotter) nationwide? Policing can not move forward until we address the lack of accessibility to the most basic policing datasets.  Right now, it is harder to collect RMS/CAD data from police agencies on a national scale than it is to collect national COVID data. In fact, there are more independent websites collecting COVID data and updating it almost daily than there are independent crime mapping websites like SpotCrime collecting RMS/CAD data.  COVID data, even though it has...

Police policy changes aimed at better community-policing, the ethics of using DNA databases for police work, Biden presidency police reform, police and criminologists worried about FBI crime data loss, violent crime rate, and more... POLICE CONDUCT New Jersey bill would bar agencies from judging officers based on the number of arrests  (The Neighbor) A new bill would make all police misconduct allegations and settlements public  (Vox) North Carolina state task force offers suggestions to improve law enforcement  (The Times News) see also:  Aurora officials believe civilian review board is a major step  (Daily Herald) and also:  Salt Lake Co. Sheriff Rivera takes part in national police reform conversation  (FOX13) How can Long Beach address systemic racism in policing? It’s complicated  (The Press Telegram) What a Biden administration could mean for criminal justice reform  (PBS) Policing for Profit. The abuse of civil asset forfeiture  ...

Police chiefs weigh in on Biden presidency police reforms, militarization does not reduce crime, no-knock warrants banned in Virginia, undocumented immigrants less likely to commit crime than citizens, the dos and don'ts of a police blotter, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Here's what police chiefs think Biden should do to help address issues with law enforcement  (CNN) Knoxville PD: New co-responder program workers respond to dozens of calls in first months  (WBIR) Fort Hood's Inexperienced, Overburdened CID Faces New Scrutiny in Army Investigation  (Military.com) Austin Police Association claims police officers are resigning because of budget cuts. Here's what the data says  (KVUE) The Impact of Terrorism on the Transformation of Law Enforcement in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada Since the 1960s: The Relevance of 9/11 to the Thin Blue Line  (Academia.edu) see also:  New Study Findings: Militarizing Local Police Does Not Reduce Crime  (Louisi...

Preventing, reducing, and addressing crime is the top priority of any police agency. Any effective and community minded police agency wants to increase the number of stakeholders it collaborates with to prevent, reduce, and respond to crime. This has led to crime blotters being one of the most common datasets police agencies make available to the public.  A crime blotter typically includes CAD and/or RMS data. A public crime blotter shows what your local police officers and deputies have to deal with throughout the day. This is great information that not only keeps the public aware and informed, but is also a building block for police transparency. Since there is no kind of federal or state standard behind releasing this information, we’ve put together a list of DOs and DON’Ts to go by if your police agency is releasing a crime blotter. Baltimore City and Baltimore County police both have data dashboards, however, only Baltimore City releases the underlying public data. Baltimore C...

Evidence based policing, changing policing tactics, COVID lockdowns and crime, predictive policing, license plate readers, location tracking on mobile devices, NIBRS five fast facts, bail reform shows no effect on crime rate, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Inside the Reimagine Public Safety Task Force report: 'Policing has got to change'  (News6 Richmond) Coronavirus, crime, and policing: Thoughts on the implications of the lockdown rollercoaster  (CEPOL) A practical approach to evidence-based policing  (CEPOL) Does Predictive Policing Lead to Biased Arrests? Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial  (Academia.edu) Jacksonville’s co-responder program seeks to diffuse tense situations  (News4Jax) Small South Carolina town loses entire police force  (WSOC TV) CRIME RATE Number of homicides in Memphis slightly down within two weeks of Operation Cool Down  (Action News 5) Indianapolis has poured millions into grant funding to fight crime. Has it worked? ...