Wondering how bad crime is in your neighborhood? There's a website for that. Crime Reports, the self purported "leader in online crime mapping," can show you just how bad things are…at street level.
Police departments send data to CrimeReports which then creates mashups on a Google Map. Users can zoom into neighborhoods and find out what crimes have taken place. The site maps out a variety of incidents ranging from theft to sexual assault.
Cities from across the country contribute information but not every location lists results. Our tests showed LA County was available but city by city coverage was a bit spotted. West Hollywood returned a variety of recent crimes but areas like Park La Brea came up empty. But wait, there's more.
While scrolling the map over Burbank, we were greeted with this message:
It looks like law enforcement agencies in this area are not sharing their crime information with CrimeReports. Would you like to view sex offenders in this area?
Clicking yes revealed a shockingly comprehensive map of the city covered with registered sex offenders. Exact addresses and pictures were provided.
CrimeReports.com says they created the site to make it easier for citizens to visualize law enforcement data. Think of it as a sort of virtual 'neighborhood watch.' Information is published in near real-time, converting raw crime data into easily accessible, actionable information.
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The real question is, after viewing the map, will you decide to move?
