Yes, it’s yet another google maps mashup! This one is of questionable utility since it relies not upon comprehensive police reports but the ‘news’ items that the Capitol Police post on their website. It’s still a somewhat interesting map, however, and worth a look.
The question it brings rise to for me, though, is why don’t we have better transparency in police reports? The MPDC website doesn’t even have the quantity of information a local newspaper’s police blotter typically does and the supposed source for this kind of thing that they link to, CrimeReports.com, is completely non-functional.
I’m not too surprised by this since it seems what the PD likes to share isn’t anything that might not be revealing themselves in the best light. For example, there’s a pretty little page of crime statistics you can look at which says that as of March 13th we’ve had 33 homicides, the same number as this time last year – “unch.” it says. Guess we had 4 in the last few days, since the “What’s New in the Metropolitan Police Department” monthly newsletter shows as of 3/10 there were 29 vs 33 last year. More interesting to me is the line below it. “Closure Rate: 50.0% (16 closures)” That less than glowing little stat isn’t on the main crime statistics page for some reason…
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.
Hmm, guess I just did.
My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.
