SpotCrime - The Public's Crime Map

Effectiveness of body cams, campus safety, DNA testing, domestic violence and gun violence crackdown, debating AI in policing continues, FBI hate crimes, plea deals lead to lower sentencing, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Virginia police dog dubbed hero after finding children lost in woods 'within 15 minutes'  (Fox News) Time, money and a ‘culture shift:’ How three California police departments overhauled their policies  (Sacramento Bee) Do civil forfeiture cases always hit their mark?  (WMBF) Tampa police officers accused of throwing away drugs, turning off body cameras  (WTSP) see also:  Police body cameras aren't having the effects many expected  (Governing) Sand Lake (MI) shuts down police department  (WOOD) Complaint filed against Harford County sheriff after legal aid attorney was detained after a sheriff insisted he was the client in the case and not the attorney  (WBAL) Newly released emails show Roanoke police chief is critical...

We have a lot to learn about machine learning and AI in policing, Boeing criminal probe, policing for profit, catholic church scandal in Illinois, what a cleared homicide means, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Nowata County sheriff, undersheriff, deputies resign over jail controversy  (KTUL) The Supreme Court Resuscitates the Eighth Amendment The justices strike a blow against policing for profit.  (The Atlantic) SC sheriffs fly first class, bully employees and line their pockets with taxpayer money  (The Post and Courier) Former DEA official now working for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma  (NBC News) FBI assisting in criminal probe into how Boeing's 737 Max planes were certified to fly  (CBS News) Gov. Cuomo Supports Banning Sex Offenders From Subway. The ban would apply to repeat offenders — anyone who has been convicted of subway sex crimes twice.  (CBS New York) Court: Middle Finger Protected by the Constitution  (NYTimes) CRIME RATE But...

For the last 10 years, SpotCrime has been attempting to access public crime data from South Bend Indiana with no luck. More often than not South Bend has made excuses as to why they are unable to share data. All the while South Bend police department  has been willingly providing data to a paid third party vendor. Allowing a preferential private company better access to public information is not in the interest of transparency . Doing this locks the data in a siloed and controlled environment that can’t be inspected, therefore, reducing accountability. If the press and the public are restricted from counting and sharing the data then how is putting it on a map useful? Back in 2017 SpotCrime was successfully able to get an excel file that included a list of incidents that occurred throughout the day in South Bend. Check out and download the raw data here. When we went to request data again in 2017, we were told their system moved from UCR to NIBRS and could no ...

PredPol program shut down in some cities but kept on in others, civilian oversight of police agencies debated, gun laws and mass shootings connected, connection between poverty and crime, Shotspotter pros and cons, prison reform, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Bodycam shows officers save man from burning car seconds before it explodes  (ABC30) LAPD to change crime data program as activists tell Police Commission to ‘shut it down’  (LA Times) see also:  Eight years in, LAPD can’t measure PredPol’s effect on crime  (MuckRock) and also:  Audit Finds LAPD Predictive Policing Programs Lack Oversight  (Courthouse News) and:  Baltimore set to renew contract with predictive policing group, citing violence declines in targeted areas  (Baltimore Sun) and finally:  Bay Area police try out controversial AI software that tells them where to patrol  (Mercury News) 5 examples of how evidence-based policing enhances law enforcement  (Police...

America violent crime decreases, crypto facilitates crime more than economy, predictive policing under the microscope, 3-D scanners help recreate crime scenes, and more... POLICE CONDUCT Police Suicide Prevention: A Fresh Start  (LinkedIn) Pittsburg PD sees improved public safety thanks to sales tax  (FourStatesHomePage) ‘Highway robbery’ or a way to fight drug cartels? Utah police defend law that lets them take cash, even from suspects who are never arrested.  (Salt Lake Tribune) No Charges in Sacramento Police Shooting of Stephon Clark  (NYTimes) Baltimore police consent decree will reduce crime but not right away, acting commissioner says  (Baltimore Sun) CRIME RATE After increases in 2015 and 2016, America’s violent crime rate seems to be back on the decline  (Vox) ‘This has to stop.’ Number of Charlotte murders quadruples year to date  (The Charlotte Observer) Chicago homicides statistics see 44 percent drop in first two months o...

We get inquiries daily about information on accessing the SpotCrime API. If you are a member of the public and are interested in seeing how our API works, check out SpotCrime.info and type in any address. Each incident: Has been standardized across the SpotCrime database Includes location based details  Includes a source URL Includes the date/time/description provided by the police agency Check out some examples of the SpotCrime API in use! SpotCrime on Life360 SpotCrime on Trulia SpotCrime does not have an open API for commercial use or research. We do not have the capabilities to provide the API for free. However, if you are interested in accessing the SpotCrime API for commercial use or research (i.e. large datasets or non single users use with many calls to the API) please feel free to get in touch. Email api@spotcrime.com with: 1) Your name and title. 2) Information about the company you represent and the current project you ...

Drop in crime across US, MI stopping property seizures, cyber crime attacks children, gun control background checks, dirty data in AIs, and more... POLICE CONDUCT 'Significant' drop in crime credited to Sheriff, deputies  (KVIA) 5 Chicago Police Officers Died By Suicide Since July. Is The Department Doing Enough?  (NPR) Bodycam video shows moments suspect, deported 3 times, shoots at Napa deputy  (KRCR) Downtown Memphis neighborhood wants police precinct, SkyCop cameras to reduce crime  (FOX13) Michigan May Stop Police From Seizing Property Without Getting a Conviction First  (Reason.com) CRIME RATE Oklahoma Governor Signs 'Constitutional Carry' Bill, Allowing Residents to Openly Carry Guns Without a Background Check  (TIME) see also:  U.S. House approves expanded background checks for gun sales  (Reuters) For Students in Baltimore, Getting to School Can Be a Scary Ride Regulatory Intelligence: Criminals Mix & Match Children'...