The police department invited crime analysts and police leaders from throughout Southern California to hear a presentation last week about new software that allows officers and residents the opportunity to track incidents – criminal or otherwise – around the city, region and nation.
Representatives from 16 police agencies from as far away as Simi Valley gathered for the presentation of www.raidsonline.com crime mapping software. Susan Smith, of Bair Analytics, called Fullerton a “flagship” for the mapping software; FPD is the first Orange County police agency to sign up for the service, which is free for residents to use.
About 5,000 police agencies of 17,000 across the country use the system.
There are two versions: the free application that allows the public to view crime on a map, and an upgraded version used by police departments to gauge trends and view relatively detailed information across city and county borders. Both versions grant the user the ability to toggle various events on and off, which comes in handy whether you’re an officer trying to find trends in crimes such as burglaries or a residents trying to avoid areas where there have been traffic collisions, officials said.
Events varying from automobile accidents to homicide can be seen on a map, which the user controls. So users can view all crime within a mile of their home – or just look at burglaries that have occurred within one mile of a school during the past six months. The technology is available as a free app for the iPhone; Android users will have to wait another week or two, according to Smith.
Users can also sign up for crime alerts as frequently or infrequently as they’d like.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to provide important crime information to our residents,” said Sgt. Jeff Stuart. “And the added benefit as more agencies participate is we’ll eventually be able to more quickly and accurately study crime trends beyond Fullerton’s borders.”
- By Anthony F. Irwin
