Crime stats
My column on Sunday about North Baltimore's Homeland Association distributing crime statistics only to dues-paying members struck a nerve. I heard from representatives and members from other groups and a former police commander.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that people want crime statistics. Police and City Hall administrations rise and fall over crime numbers and people who live in the city (and elsewhere) want to know how safe their street and block really is.
Numerous Web entrepreneurs make money off crime stats and the Baltimore Sun's police blotter by Richard Irwin remains one of the most constantly popular features in the newspaper. Now, communities in Baltimore are fighting over who has the right to read and distribute similiar information.
One company, www.crimereports.com, works with local police departments to map crime statistics, and charges the public agencies to do so. I understand smaller departments who can't afford mapping programs working with them, but I have a problem with a private company getting information that should be freely available to the public and getting our money for it! The Harford County Sheriff's Department is just one local agency using this company.
I have a possible answer. Police departments should provide the information, free and online. All do to some extent. Some don't allow you to search for individual crimes but give the average for certain neighborhoods. That doesn't help much. Others limit the time or the types of crimes. Baltimore police, for example, allow you to search only for two weeks at a time in the previous 90 days. It's a pity, considering they have one of the most advanced crime mapping tools available (though for internal use). I find the site nearly useless for any real information.
Take a look at the Metropolitan Police Department's crime mapping program to get an idea of what can be done. It's a bit cumbersome, but it allows you to plot crime (up to the previous day) by street, neighborhood or police district. You can break the numbers done in almost every conceivable way. And not only can you plot crime, but also map arrests, charges, construction permits, vacant properties, etc...
Enough from me. Here's some of the reaction to the column:
Dear Mr. Hermann,
I read with interest your article in the Sunday Sun regarding crime awareness and the Homeland community. This is a timely piece considering what has transpired in our community which sits on the fringe of Homeland. Many neighbors have been talking about and observing the increased crime in this general area -- Belvedere, Bellona, Rosebank, and Homeland. We are not Homeland residents, but share the concern as crime spills out into our neighborhoods, and are working at a grassroots level to try to prevent our neighborhoods from becoming just one more statistic -- areas that are dangerous, drug-ridden, unsafe for habitation.
We are holding a meeting at the Govans Library on Bellona Avenue. The date is October 14th -- a Tuesday, at 6:15 p.m. We are hoping that many residents will attend and voice their concerns. Mr. Bill Henry, 4th District Councilman, has agreed to meet with us and he is arranging for representatives from the Northern District to be there also. Neighboring associations have been notified and are invited. This meeting is not generated by any association, but by neighbors who have grave concerns. Some of us belong to the neighboring associations; some do not.
It is my belief and experience that if one is well-informed, a person can do much with that information and take action that is pro-active, rather than reactive. If, on the other hand, the ostrich approach is adopted, nothing can be gained. Please join us on October 14th for what promises to be a lively and interesting meeting -- if people will come out and support this effort to curb crime in their neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Margaret C. (Connie) Harris
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I found this Sunday's column particularly interesting: the fact that a neighborhood has begun to "hoard" their crime stats. I remember when I was a sergeant in the BPD and started to inter-act with community groups in the Central District and it was almost verboten to divulge crime statistics to the public. The Public Information Office was the only place where citizens could get this information and then only for a very good reason. When I became the District Commander of the Northern District restrictions eased up a bit, evidently, because I felt no restrictions when I routinely provided communities with their crime information. Community Policing was the key phrase then and how could one embrace that philosophy and not co-operate with the dissemination of information?? It is sad that the Homeland Association has the idea that they "own" this information. I think that the BPD has a web site where anyone can bring up the crime information in their neighborhood. You may want to check that out and let the non-members of the Homeland Association know.
Margaret (Maggie) Patten
Retired Colonel - BPD
Comments
The Baltimore City Police mapping program might have been nice at one time but is sadly outdated.
Oh and the police departments and government aren't really interested in making more information available. That might make them and their policies and decisions more accountable to the citizens.
Posted by: Paul | October 6, 2008 9:37 PM
There seems to a be a very strong sense that it is in the interest of civic groups in this town to 'manage' access to their crime data.
This notion that 'home values might suffer' if people find out about the crime runs contrary to the community well-being for which these group are created.
If you have high crime,.... how about making some noise with City officials until you DON'T have high crime.
Community leaders are often more interested in securing a cozy relationship with City officials than in serving their constituents.
It's a shame.
Posted by: GALT | October 7, 2008 11:49 AM
Crime stats should be free online in a searchable database. A perfect example of a searchable database can be found by going to the "Maryland Judiciary Case Search" website, do a google search on it to get the correct address.
Posted by: John Pusinsky | October 7, 2008 3:18 PM
I agree the baltimore police crime map is dated and frumpy. But why should the police be in the business of providing comprehensive and expensive web-apps at all?
Instead, they should provide the raw data, publicly, in a simple machine-readible form that can be consumed by tech-saavy users and organizations to create their own web applications. These entities would then get paid via ads on the web sites.
Posted by: h23 | October 7, 2008 5:04 PM