SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Which is more valuable when trying to inform citizens of crime in their area - Press Releases or a crime data feed? Answer: Both - when used together Check out the SpotCrime Ottawa, Canada map . This department does not offer a public and open access to crime data, so we map crime here solely from press releases sent out by the department . Press releases normally include a lot of description and detail - descriptions of suspects including what they look like and what they were wearing, a step by step account of what happened, the approximate time the incident occurred, what type of items were stolen, the date, the case report - pretty much anything that can help solve a crime or help inform the public of what has occurred. However, press releases are only released on certain crimes that the department thinks is noteworthy or important. Check out the Ottawa map again - You can see that the department releases a lot of information about robberies occurring in certain locations. T

The maps and table above show the shootings in and around Ottawa, Canada that SpotCrime has been able to capture so far.  SpotCrime has been mapping crime in Ottawa at no cost to the police department for the last three months.   Data is primarily pulled from publicly available crime data and local Ottawa news sources.   The crime maps above can be created on SpotCrime by selecting shooting and de-selecting all other crimes.