Tracking down criminals with crime maps

There has been an explosion in crime maps since the creation of the venerated Chicago Crime some years ago, now a part of hyperlocal news site EveryBlock. Average Joes are also getting in the game with the creation of PostaCrime.com which solicits user-generated reports of crime around the country.

So far SpotCrime has done an even better of job aggregating crimes from around the nation in one convenient site, but there are a number of newspapers, TV stations, police agencies and community organizations that maintain far more detailed accounts of crime in their area. Here is a list of cities around the world whose criminal activity is currently tracked on a map.

• Anchorage
• Anniston, Alabama
• Arizona
• Atlanta
• Bakersfield, Ca.
• Baltimore
• Berkeley
• Boston
• Copenhagen
• Córdoba, Argentina
• Dallas
• Delaware
• Evanston, Ill.
• Fresno
• Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Houston
• Kansas City
• London
• Los Angeles
• Memphis
• Napa Valley, Ca.
• Nashville
• The Netherlands
• New Orleans
• New York City
• Newark, NJ
• Oakland
• Orlando
• Paso Robles, Ca.
• Philadelphia (here and here)
• Richmond, Va.
• Sacramento
• San Joaquin County, Ca.
• Seattle
• Spokane
• Tampa
• Toronto
• Washington D.C. (here and here)
• Wichita, Kansas
• Ypsilanti, Michigan
• Zurich

The technology used to create the aforementioned crime maps varies from Google Maps mashups, some with databases attached, Flash animation, or proprietary software. Whichever avenue is chosen to document crime, it is destined to be better than the black and white police blotter hidden in the recesses of most newspapers.


Also on 10,000 Words:

• 5 Interactive maps that connect communities
• How the internet is changing how natural disasters are covered
• How to explore the Earth without leaving your computer

Labels: database, maps