Police Partner with “Public Engines” to Offer Crime Reporting Service on the Internet

[Howard Hartman]

	DEPARTMENT OF POLICE MEDIA SERVICES DIVISION 2350 RESEARCH BOULEVARD ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND 20850-3294   240-773-5030
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2008	FOR MORE INFORMATION:                         Media Services Division, 240-773-5030

Montgomery County Police Partner with “Public Engines” to Offer Montgomery County Crime Reporting Service on the Internet

Today, Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger announced a new partnership with Public Engines, a software development company, to provide the ability to share neighborhood crime incident information through the Internet. The service will be available in Montgomery County on Friday, February 1, and will be found at the www.crimereports.com website. There will also be a link to the CrimeReports website from the Montgomery County Police website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/police at that time.

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This service for Montgomery County, currently in a pilot program phase, will allow the department to publish local crime incident data in near real-time on the crime reports website.

The program converts raw crime data into easily accessible information for anyone to view via the Internet.

The data is presented on a Google Maps interface where residents can review up-to-date crime activity for any location within the jurisdiction of the Montgomery County Police Department. Users may also elect to receive free e-mail crime alerts that are sent when crimes occur close to home or near any other address of interest; such as a business address, school, or community center. Users control the e-mail crime alerts they receive by specifying the address, the crime types, and the distance from the address for which they wish to receive e-mail alerts.

The CrimeReports service is free to the public, allowing them easy access to neighborhood crime data in near-real time, however, it is important to understand that due to the timeliness of the reporting, investigations will not yet have been completed, and the information will be preliminary and subject to change during the course of the investigation. Crime incident data will be updated nightly by the police department.

The basic information that will be received is:

• Type of incident (which will be listed as it is processed in the 911 center, prior to completion of the investigation)
• Date of incident
• Block address location
• May include additional pertinent information

This is the first stage of an evolving program and additional information and features will be added.

Montgomery County Police have for many years set a high priority on community policing. Chief Tom Manger said, “We know that our community members are very interested in what crime is occurring in their county, and in particular their neighborhoods. Crimereports.com gives us another tool to keep our community informed and to strengthen the department’s partnership with the people we serve. When community members know what crime is occurring in their neighborhoods, they can better prevent themselves from becoming victims, and may be more apt to report to police any suspicious persons and activities that may be related to those crimes.”

The program was tested by several community members who have demonstrated a continuing interest in receiving crime information. After reviewing the program, the Community Service Director of the Flower Hill Central Corporation Linda Horensavitz said, “I believe the Montgomery County Police crime reporting website will be a great asset to the community. It will allow members of the community to utilize the Internet to access information that will assist in them partnering with the police to ensure the safety of their local neighborhoods. This will be particularly useful to neighborhoods who participate in the Neighborhood Watch programs.”

“Through CrimeReports.com, the Montgomery County Police Department is taking another step forward in helping community members become and stay involved,” said Greg Whisenant, CEO of Public Engines. “By participating in CrimeReports.com, the Montgomery County Department of Police is demonstrating its continued leadership in its commitment to service and safety by making crime information readily available to the residents they protect.”

The same www.crimereports.com website is used in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department. Montgomery County Police are one of 30 police agencies who are “Foundation Partners” nationwide in providing guidance and input into the direction of the crime reports service.

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