SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Police reform, NY police misconduct records, regional crime data, mental health, Baltimore gun violence transparency, clearance rates, relationship between climate and crime, facial surveillance, robot bomb dog, AI for report writing, gunshot detection, police drones, license plate readers, AI use in non emergency calls, real time crime centers, speed cameras, FOIA, facial recognition transparency, LMPD oversight, after prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Savannah mayor backs police reform, addresses crime criticism from Georgia AG  (WJCL) Our 5-year fight to publish NY's police misconduct records, and what we've found so far  (Democrat and Chronicle) Official: Texas authorities illegally access Illinois data to locate woman who had abortion  (The State Journal Register) LAPD is illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border Patrol  (LA Public Press)  see also:  FOIA records reveal Evanston data accessible to out-of-state police making ICE searches...

In 2025, the Baltimore Police Department updated its public crime data, switching from the old UCR Part I system to the more detailed NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System) . The change was part of a national push for more comprehensive crime reporting. But in Baltimore’s case, one critical data point has effectively vanished from public view: shootings. In 2024, Shootings Were Easy to Find Even though “shooting” isn’t a standard UCR Part I crime type, Baltimore took the extra step of listing it as a distinct incident category in its 2024 public data feed. That decision gave residents, journalists, researchers, and advocates a powerful tool to track gun violence directly. No guesswork or complicated filtering required. It was a simple but effective act of transparency. But now it’s gone. In 2025, the Shooting Category Vanishes The 2025 NIBRS-format feed dropped the Shooting category, making it hard to track shootings. The public-facing feed no longer includes a clear way to ...

Real time information centers, behind the scenes of being a cop, GPS monitoring juveniles, use of force concerns, new law to help solve homicides, murder rate plunging, crime trends in summer, gun violence decline, impact of gun violence and children, NG911, police drones, new crime labs, police overtime use transparency, body cam footage transparency, health and human rights bill for pregnant women in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Aurora police use real time information center to boost officer, public safety  (CBS) ‘Inside SDPD’ event offers public behind-the-scenes look at being a cop  (Times of San Diego) Philly is monitoring more kids by GPS than ever. And it’s turning over geolocation data to law enforcement, no warrant required.  (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Savannah Police to address use-of-force concerns after chief pens open letter to public  (Savannah Now) Chicago Police Have Failed to Solve More Homicides. Could a New Law Help?  (The Trace) Jackso...

Honolulu police chief steps down, private security, new policing model in Wichita, police reform, civilian police review board, innovations in policing, police accountability boards, firearm data tracing, violent crime, ARPA violence reduction, AI, real time data fighting crime, high tech policing, cameras, police drone transparency, use of force database in Washington, 'Cop City' records released, felony data transparency, prison closure, bail reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Honolulu police chief steps down amid controversy over vacancy rate, recent shootings, transparency issues  (Hawaii News Now) Malibu hires private security to protect homes in fire zone from burglars after PCH reopens  (LA Times) New Wichita policing model aims to identify locations, not demographics, to lower gun crime  (KMUW) Police Reform: How To Fix A Watchdog That Will Barely Bark, Let Alone Bite  (Honolulu Civil Beat) see also:  As Virginia police reforms take hold, decertification...

Police budgets, police accountability boards, juvenile criminal offenses, violent crime rate in the US, AI in law enforcement, phone data location data used in court, automate license plate readers, body cam funding, facial recognition use on the rise, legislation to improve police transparency, FOIA, prisoner review boards, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Lehi police asking city for additional million dollars to grow department  (KJZZ) Rochester Police Accountability Board Loses Investigatory Powers  (New York Focus) CRIME RATE ‘Killing each other’: Juvenile criminal offenses skyrocket by 100% in Durham’s quarterly crime report  (Queen City News) Something remarkable is happening with violent crime rates in the US  (Vox) see also:  Could 2025 See the Lowest Murder Rate Ever Recorded?  (Reason) Prince George’s Co. police say crime is down again this year, and here’s how they’ll plan for the summer  (WTOP) Data broker LexisNexis discloses data breach affecti...

Police reform efforts, DOJ dismisses investigations, police department staffing, police oversight commission, community policing boards, Take It Down Act signed into law, drug possession decriminalization, cracking down on fare jumpers, crime rates, violence during COVID-19, real-time facial recognition, crime algorithms, FOIL reform effort, Alabama prison litigation, AI in court filings, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Minneapolis makes history with civilian hires in police reform effort  (KARE11) Inclusion, transparency, trust top priorities for new Santa Maria police chief Christopher Williams  (Santa Maria Times) Trump DOJ dismisses investigations of police in several cities, including Minneapolis  (WGLT) Big Police Departments Have Stopped Shrinking. But they aren't growing, for the most part.  (Jeff-alytics) Citizens Police Oversight Commission Names Civil Rights Attorney Ewuare Osayande as Deputy Executive Director  (City of Philadelphia) Olympia opens applica...

Medical professionals to help 911, Detroit police complaint backlog, limiting police accountability in Austin, non-consensual intimate imagery, DOJ rescinds grants, high tech policing, murder rate, gun violence, firearm involved expulsions, policing and social media, AI to enhance emergency response, Columbus crime report portal offline, FOIA exemptions, police dashboards, open crime data, police transparency, prisoner release, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Chief In Catawba County Indicted On Charge Of Altering, Stealing Or Destroying Evidence In Murder Case  (WHKY) Louisville mayor proposes new money for medical professionals to help 911 call center  (WDRB) Detroit police complaint backlog grows despite efforts to bolster closure rates  (Bridge Detroit) Kissimmee's new police chief emphasizes community trust and transparency  (WESH) Two bills could limit police accountability in Austin, as legislative session nears end  (CBS Austin) CRIME RATE Distributing ...

Crime investigations stop in St Louis County, new software to change policing, notifications about child abuse on military bases, crime data, crime free lease movement, crime rate, internet crimes, using DNA to identify suspects face, predictive policing and AI, police drones, surveillance, license plate readers, police transparency, parole, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Crime investigations stop in St. Louis County due to judicial decision  (Northern News Now) New dispatch software could change policing in The Dalles  (NCW Life) At least 4 Florida deputies fired after body cam cover-up during out-of-county arrest  (WSVN) DOD should fix parent notifications about alleged child abuse, IG says  (Military Times) CRIME RATE Crime reporting in Ithaca: A tale of two hills Public safety for students can look different depending on whether they are living on or off campus.  (Ithaca Week) This Arizona officer launched a crime-free lease movement. Now, he says his legacy is ...

Chief honored for leadership, citizen police oversight commission, using military in domestic operations, Justice Department cutting grants to help crime victims, police exemptions from deadly conduct charges in Texas, new tool for community feedback, organized crime and corruption reporting, hoax calls, deepfake legislation passed to protect victims of NCII, LED streetlights help reduce crime, leveraging tech for safer communities, Rochester new measure of public safety, data on prison deaths, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Elgin police chief honored nationally for leadership through progressive policing  (Daily Herald) Citizens Police Oversight Commission Releases Annual Report Highlighting Progress Toward Police Accountability, Transparency, and Community Trust  (City of Philadelphia) Bondi and Hegseth ordered to look at how military can be used in domestic operations  (The Independent) see also:  Trump’s New Order on Policing Seems Sweeping. But What Will It Really C...

State takes control of St. Louis police department, tough on crime policies, officer recruitment, cuts to KC Sheriff, protecting survivors of domestic abuse, cracking down on violent crime, campus crime, cybercrime partnership, complaints against police, citizen review board transparency, bottlenecks in criminal court system, AZ prison closures, and more... POLICE CONDUCT St. Louis Community Outraged as State Takes Control of Police Department  (Vanguard News Group) JSO allows officers to carry personal Staccato handguns instead of department-issued Glocks Safety analyst sees no issue with JSO approving use of different gun, says it can ‘boost confidence, effectiveness’  (News4Jax) DOD stops offering rape kits to most overseas civilian workers  (Military Times) D.C. Public Safety Executive Order Revives Failed “Tough-on-Crime” Policies, Ignores Proven Solutions  (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) Memphis Shelby Crime Commission aims to recruit officers, deter c...

Mental health responders, radio encryption, child exploitation, fatal and nonfatal shootings comparisons, Mexico City crime, EverShot, gun violence, Dallas response times, DOJ report on AI, AI or non-emergency calls, police military equipment, Charlotte schools withhold sexual assault data, data in criminal justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT As state slashes mental health funding, Tulsa adds 911 clinicians to divert crisis calls  (Public Radio Tulsa) Police scanners in Minneapolis fall silent as MPD encrypts radio traffic  (MPR News) CRIME RATE Child sexual exploitation and abuse is a multibillion-dollar industry – new report shows who benefits  (The Conversation) Leveraging the National Incident-based Reporting System to compare fatal and nonfatal shooting incidents  (Taylor & Francis Online) see also:  EveryShot is a publicly available data tool that tracks gun violence incidents in the United States using AI to parse news stories about gun violence. ...

Oakland 911 answer times improving, reasons for traffic stops, police surveillance, police shortage in Philadelphia, image based sexual abuse, deepfake criminalization legislation, truancy and violent crime, ghost guns, police radio encryption, AI to predict crime, AI to write police reports, Ohio new body cam video charges, rethinking girls' incarceration, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Oakland's 911 answer times are improving, according to state data  (NbC Bay Area) Here are the top 10 reasons police gave for traffic stops in Fresno and Clovis  (The Fresno Bee) Tulsa’s surveillance gamble  (The Frontier) It Will Take 'Years of Momentum' to Fix Philadelphia's Cop Shortage  (Governing) Did Colorado lawmakers try to bar police from asking, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”  (The Colorado Sun) Chicago expanding program to allow police officers to file felony gun charges without review by prosecutors  (CBS News) CRIME RATE How The Media Is ‘Economically Exploit...

Police staffing, five years after George Floyd, recording police, ICE, misconduct records, NIBRS switch slows access to crime data, social media and crime trends, solving hit and runs, child deepfake and sextortion incidents, AI crime, gunshot detection, surveillance camera network, automated license plate readers, predictive policing, tech and police transparency, body cams, New Jersey expungement, and more... POLICE CONDUCT New Jersey police chief accused of defecating on floor to harass co-workers  (The Guardian) Staffing and Data Needs Hold Center Stage at Second Shasta County Public Safety Meeting  (Shasta Scout) The State of Policing, Five Years After George Floyd  (GovTech) Beaumont police chief highlights community safety efforts and crime prevention  (12 News Now) “A Wholly Inaccurate Picture”: Reality Cop Show “The First 48” and the Wrongly Convicted Man  (ProPublica) Tia Lewis: Right To Record Cops Is Vital Because No One Is Above The Law  (Honol...

In recent years, the transition from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) has been hailed as a major upgrade in crime data collection. NIBRS offers more granular, detailed reporting compared to UCR’s summary-based approach. But while the benefits sound promising on paper, in practice we’re seeing a troubling side effect: timely, block level incident crime data is slowing down—or disappearing entirely—from public view and access. Is NIBRS to Blame? The NIBRS transition is not the only factor, but it's a significant one. Unlike UCR, which focused on counting major offenses, NIBRS demands more detail and structure. That means departments must invest in costly software upgrades, retrain staff, and restructure internal workflows. These changes introduce delays—and in some cases, departments decide it's easier to stop releasing data altogether rather than deal with the complexity. Adding to the issue is that many of th...