SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

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...

Police chief transparency, the future of police reform, police profiling, officer training, five years after Breonna Taylor's death, fight against gun violence showing promise, ghost gun bans, navigating predictive policing challenges, drone policies, body cams, future proofing justice, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Their police chiefs were forced out. Now these residents want transparency  (Las Vegas Review Journal) Trump Is Backing Away From Police Reform. Here’s What That Means for 12 Places.  (The Marshall Project) Assaults on NYPD officers have skyrocketed in subways, MTA says  (Gothamist) N.J. police chief accused of turning department into 'Animal House'  (NBC News) Akron residents concerned about safety, police profiling. Here's how we can fix it | Opinion  (Akron Beacon Journal) Eye On Safety: Moore Police Chief addresses officer training after stunning body cam footage  (News on 6) Five Years After Breonna Taylor’s Death, What’s Changed?  (Essen...

Henderson police chief fired, Columbus underreported crime, smart policing, holistic approach to crime, high risk violent offenders, body cam footage fees, predictive analytics, crime data in social media, automated license plate readers, asset forfeiture, trust in community police interactions, prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Henderson police chief fired after ultimatum  (8 News Now) Maui police chief named in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit as alleged co-conspirator  (Hawaii News Now) Columbus police’s underreported crime data taking longer to fix than expected  (NBC4) The Smart Policing Initiative: 15 Years of Evidence-Based Innovation in Policing Practice  (Taylor and Francis Online) CRIME RATE A Holistic Approach to Explaining Crime  (Taylor and Francis Online) 'This narrative that Austin is dangerous is not accurate' | Police chief pushes back against bill to extend DPS enforcement downtown  (KVUE) Policing High-Risk Violent Offenders: Smart Policing in...

Kansas police gun sales, public libraries crime mitigation, violence alters human genomes, gun violence and gun data, red flag laws, police robot dogs, automated report writing, license plate cameras, body cam market shift, police misconduct files transparency, prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Kansas police could sell, give away guns seized without criminal convictions under Senate bill  (Kansas Reflector) Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig explores running for Detroit mayor  (The Detroit News) CRIME RATE Do public libraries help mitigate crime? Evidence from Kansas City, MO  (Ideas.repec.org) Violence alters human genomes for generations, researchers discover  (University of Florida) Georgia Crime Victims Oppose Governor’s Bill to Limit Lawsuit Damages  (Governing) Can Enhanced Street Lighting Improve Public Safety at Scale?  (SSRN) State, county officials meet to discuss gun violence and ways to make communities safer  (WFMZ) What the data say...

Los Angeles, one of the largest cities in the U.S., has long provided public access to crime data through its open data portal. However, a troubling shift has been unfolding, raising serious concerns about transparency, public safety awareness, and accountability. The LAPD’s transition to a new Records Management System (RMS) and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) has resulted in significant gaps in crime data reporting, with updates becoming increasingly sporadic or ceasing altogether. The Problem: Crime Data No Longer Updating Regularly Historically, LAPD updated its crime data feed on a weekly basis but changed to biweekly updates in early 2024 . However, as of early 2025, the department appears to have stopped updating its primary dataset entirely. The most recent available crime data from the “Crime Data from 2020 to Present” dataset stopped at December 30, 2024 , but has since resumed biweekly updates. However, these updates now contain only a few incidents p...

Citizen feedback for police, police chases, police misconduct and disciplinary records, police staffing levels, body cam policies, cyber attacks, gun locks. license plate readers, police surveillance, convictions transparency, LAPD crime data transparency, asset forfeiture, jail population dashboard, juvenile prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Milwaukee residents were surveyed on the city's police. Here's the main takeaways  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) see also:  'Together We Ball:' Milwaukee police, community build connections  (Fox 6 Milwuakee) Police chases can be deadly — but most states including Texas don't even track them  (KERA News) National database tracking federal police misconduct 'no longer active' after Trump revokes Biden order  (WHAS 11) see also:  RPD must publicly release misconduct, disciplinary records, N.Y. Court of Appeals says  (Spectrum News) Alabama cities would have to disclose police staffing levels under bill that passes H...

Data driven policing, police chief departure, police transparency, nonviolence work, crime stats, youth-related crime, mask wearing defendants, sanctuary cities and crime, murder rate, police cameras, AI and policing, police chief search, privatizing prison food service, women in prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Urbana Police Chief lays out ‘data driven policing’  (WCIA) OIG pens letter to New Orleans Police Department publicizing inaccurate crime stats reporting  (WGNO) CRIME RATE The Untold Impact of Nonviolence Work: How Success Gets Measured in Chicago’s Hardest-Hit Neighborhoods  (WTTW) Youth-related crime continues to be an issue for Cincinnati, CPD report says  (Fox19) US Justice Dept demands data on criminal cases involving mask-wearing defendants  (Reuters) UNM research shows no correlation between sanctuary cities and crime  (UNM News) Jackson State experts weigh in on Jackson murder rate the past 5 years. See the numbers  (Clarion Ledger) ...

Transforming policing, Marsy's Law Supreme Court ruling in Ohio, 911 call center reforms, school crime report, police staffing and crime rates, ICE statistics, AI for police reports, NYPD to disclose surveillance tech contracts, gunshot detection, using tech to fight crime, facial recognition, law enforcement transparency, private prisons, recidivism, and more... POLICE CONDUCT How to Transform Policing and Regain Public Trust  (Governing) Ohio Supreme Court hears arguments on whether cops get crime victim protections  (The Columbus Dispatch) Nonpolice response teams may cut crime, save cash, but data limited  (Civic Media) Jersey City Union President Backs McGreevey for Mayor, Calls for 911 Call Center Reforms  (Jersey City Times) CRIME RATE Annual K-12 school crime report shows overall drop over previous year  (North State Journal) San Francisco’s police staffing is at a historic low. So is its crime rate.  (Mission Local) ICE Enforcement and Removal Oper...

Police calls for service, public safety plans, crime and justice system data, White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention shutters, campus crime, first responders embracing AI, video analytics, police drones, solar powered mobile surveillance, facial recognition, police transparency, data transparency, accountable policing, prison nurseries, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Sacramento sheriff explains new policy to turn away certain calls for help  (CBS News) Private Security Guards Are Filling Gaps in Policing (But Not All of Them)  (Governing) Salt Lake City provides first update on Public Safety Plan progress  (SLC.gov) I-Team investigates how hoax 911 calls divert critical resources, risking public safety  (ABC 3340) Syracuse, N.Y., Police Probe Online ‘Security Incident’  (GovTech) CRIME RATE A Cautionary Crime Data Tale Part V  (Jeff-alytics) Better Data Can Help Create a Better Justice System  (MacArthur Foundation) Pennsylvania responds as Trump sh...

Citizen police oversight, officer mental health, nonpolice response teams, Phoenix DOJ investigation, Laken Riley Act, crimes against police officers, NYC subway violence, crime rates, body cameras, data driven technology, transparency, body camera transparency, open crime data, encrypted police radio channels, prison, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Philadelphia Citizens Police Oversight Commission Releases Report Highlighting Evaluation of Police Termination Arbitration Board  (City of Philadelphia) How Baltimore Convinced Officers to Seek Help for Alcoholism and Depression  (Governing) ‘You wouldn’t call your plumber to fix your teeth’ – Nonpolice response teams may cut crime, save cash, but data limited  (The Badger Project) How President Trump’s recent actions could impact law enforcement (Police1) see also:  Future of Phoenix Police DOJ investigation unclear under Trump Administration  (12News) Police departments are divided on enforcing the Laken Riley Act ...

Recent pardons critiqued by FOP, secrecy around police shootings, understaffing woes, deportations, civilian police oversight, lethal force, murder decline, gun violence trends, high-risk firearms dealers, human trafficking dashboard, license plate readers, using AI for missing children, access to public police records, body cam footage, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Despite endorsing Trump, Fraternal Order of Police critiques his recent pardons  (KSHB) Philly FOP seeks to restore secrecy around police shootings and disciplinary records in upcoming contract  (Philadelphia Inquirer) JPD addresses understaffing woes with push to fill officer slots  (THV11) Florida Sheriffs Prepare for Their Role in Mass Deportation Effort  (Governing) Group calls for more civilian Detroit police oversight, resources and social programs  (Michigan Advance) Tallahassee Citizens Police Review Board officially dissolved following new state law  (WTXL) Unveiling the silent battle: su...