SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...