Based on where you live, you could learn of a crime that just happened or a crime that happened a month ago. Crimetracker 10 uncovered various methods used by central Ohio police agencies when it comes to mapping crime reports online.
"We went to posting on RAIDS by popular request," says Bexley Police Chief Larry Rinehart. "There was a demand for information by several people in our community and this was a way for us to provide that information with very little impact to our daily operations."
Gahanna police also say using RAIDS online to post crimes online is a valuable and helpful tool for the community.
New Albany police say the mapping service shows the city's desire to be transparent to the community about crime.
Reynoldsburg police, which also uses RAIDS, says the service is great for businesses and people who live in apartment complexes.
"This is great for apartment complexes on two venues," says Lt. Ron Wright with the Reynoldsburg Division of Police. "They can view the crimes in their complexes and it vies them a sense of urgency to assist us with investigating and preventing crimes."
But not every city uploads the information the same way.
The Franklin County Sheriff's office says crime are uploaded three times a day. But in Dublin, the crimes show up roughly eight hours after the report is approved by a supervisor. In other cities, the crimes could get uploaded weekly or monthly.
George Evans contacted CrimeTracker 10 after a murder took place in his neighborhood just off the Ohio State University campus. He claims the crime didn't show up for days.
"We just looked at it and there's a big black hole and that's when I called (CrimeTracker 10)," says Evans, who has lived in the neighborhood near Summit and Alden Streets.
He says he'd liked to see more consistency across the board. "That way they can be more vigilant. It's not to say oh look at all the bad people in our neighborhood, it's how can we protect ourselves."
CrimeTracker 10 notes that most police agencies in central Ohio use the free service RAIDS online, other cities turn to mapping software like Spot Crime or CrimeReporting.com. That's why users might see "pockets" where crime reports don't show up.
Other cities like Whitehall and Upper Arlington don't use interactive mapping on their websites. But Upper Arlington police say they upload a monthly report that lists crimes that happen based on the city's districts.
For law enforcement only: If you’d like more information about raids, contact Lexis Nexus.
FAQ
How can I get a list of which police agencies use BAIR analytics for crime mapping?
Over a 1,000 law enforcement agencies use RAIDS Online for crime mapping. Our list of customers is proprietary.
How soon does information go from data to mapping?
Data in RAIDS Online is provided directly from each law enforcement agency. Each agency pushes their data directly to RAIDS Online at an interval determined by the agency.
Is there a cost for Police Departments to sign up?
No. It is free to law enforcement and the public.
Why are some areas not mapped?
RAIDS Online displays data down to the “block level,” rather than down to the specific address in order to maintain the privacy of individuals within the community. Additionally, while we have over 1,000 law enforcement agencies participating in the solution, there are more than 18,000 agencies in the United States. Not every agency has signed up for RAIDS Online.