We’ve added a new feature to our site: SpotCrime. Click on our Recent Area Crimes tab (under Crime/Traffic tab) and you’ll be taken to a map interface where you can either allow the service to “Use your Current Location” or you can type in an address. A map will appear that shows you the crimes reported over past months in the approximately one mile area surrounding your location.
Colin Drane, the creator of SpotCrime, became passionate about providing this kind of open data information to the public after he tried finding crime data for his own community. He developed the SpotCrime geolocation program that takes feeds from local police forces across the country and publishes it in an interactive format for the public. Go to the active map, hover over one of the icons with your mouse, and you’ll get the basic information. Click More Information and you’ll find more specifics.
The cluster of crime icons in our neighborhood SpotCrime map represents crimes over the past 3-4 months (some in the current map even go as far back as January this year) so don’t be too alarmed – they’re not all from this past week. Drane informed the Buzz that he expects the LAPD to upgrade their feed to him in the very near future, which will show a smaller, more current time frame of criminal activity.
Be alert. Don’t open doors to strangers. Don’t leave valuables in open view. Call 911. Report all crimes to the LAPD.
Olympic Division: (east of Gower -Plymouth-Crenshaw) Front Desk: 213-382-9102
Wilshire Division: Front Desk: 213-473-0476
