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November 3, 2008

Crime alerts

In case you missed it, Sunday's Washington Post had an article on a new text-alert system set up by the Metropolitan Police Department in D.C. People who sign up can now get e-mails and text-alerts to their cell phones about breaking crime in their area.

Maryland's Metro Crime Stoppers just started accepting tips by text and colleges and universities, as well as many community groups, sent out email alerts about crime. But what DC is doing takes it a step further -- real-time alerts that could help police solve crime shortly after it occurrs, and lets people know what is going on in their neighbhorhood.

I've written often here about how such timely information would help, and advocated getting crime information distributed beyond the confines of neighborhood boundaries. I'd like to know what people think of what DC is doing and whether it would be welcome here.

Posted by Peter Hermann at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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About Peter Hermann

Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.

Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.

Follow @phscoop, @justin_fenton on Twitter