The Dallas Police Department has taken a progressive approach to transparency by making their crime data available to the public through numerous channels. CrimeMapping.com now provides current incident data for both the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. Any resident with access to the internet can map out and analyze recent crime activity in their neighborhood. CrimeMapping.com also offers free Crime Alerts which help keep the community well informed by distributing incident reports via e-mail to anyone that subscribes to the system.
Over two million Texas residents can now stay up to date regarding what’s happening near their home, work or child’s school of attendance. The fifteen crime types displayed are those most often requested by the public and include such reported incidents as robbery, assault, burglary and theft. Citizens can turn crime types on and off depending on what they are interested in learning about and activity can also be queried by date as there is a rolling ninety days of information available at CrimeMapping.com. Simple reports and charts which help depict current trends can be instantly accessed based on a buffer distance or the visible map area.
Community Oriented Policing is a trend that is here to stay and the Dallas Police Department has set an example for the rest of the nation in terms of transparency. This level of data sharing is not common for all police departments and should be commended as keeping the public well informed has been proven effective in reducing crime. Transparency helps build trust and the Dallas Police Department has taken the steps necessary in helping neighbors look out for each other.
