The Hope Police Department launched an online crime map this week, joining a growing number of law enforcement agencies that publish such data to promote transparency, public safety and community involvement.
As of Thursday afternoon, the department had uploaded and mapped more than two years of data totaling 6,432 police reports. The data were processed and published through Community Crime Map, a free service offered by the data research and management company LexisNexis.
The Hot Springs, Fort Smith, Conway and Springdale police departments also use the LexisNexis crime-mapping program.
Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson said his department has tracked and analyzed crime data internally for years, but he wanted a public platform that "would be helpful to our citizens." The map automatically syncs with Hope Police Department records so the latest available activity is displayed. Additionally, residents can subscribe to automated emails that summarize criminal activity in their neighborhood.
"It makes citizens aware of what's going on," Wilson said.
Certain offenses, such as sexual assault, will not appear on the map to protect the privacy of the victim, according to Wilson.
The program will serve as Hope's first automated system for crime tips. Wilson said the department of 25 sworn officers typically handles such information through phone and email. But on the crime map, each listed offense includes a link to submit an anonymous tip through tip411, a Web-based service that manages tips for dozens of law enforcement agencies across the country.
The mapping program also provides basic analyses of crime data, such as peak hours for criminal offenses. Wilson said the department will use that information to supplement its own crime analysis.
"I look at it like going to a doctor for a checkup," Wilson said of the data. "You know what the norms are because the stats show these are the norms ... But do we see a problem? Is something rising out of control? Is something we're doing working?"
Police have used such computer statistics, or CompStat initiatives to analyze crime data, manage department resources and make arrests since the early 1990s. But more agencies have begun sharing the data with the public in recent years to build trust and strengthen ties to communities.
The White House has encouraged the release of such information, and in May 2015 it began calling on police departments to go a step further and publish more than crime numbers. A program called the Police Data Initiative seeks commitments to release at least three data sets on use of force, officer-involved shootings or other police actions.
The White House announced Thursday that 129 law enforcement agencies across the country had chosen to participate. In Arkansas, those agencies are the Fayetteville and Little Rock police departments.
The Police Data Initiative is the latest of several public data and communication initiatives in Little Rock. The city has increasingly provided safety alerts and news through Twitter, Facebook, Nextdoor and other social media platforms. In March, it began sharing data on the city's 311 phone service, showing the time, date and description of residents' calls for municipal assistance.
The city has also been uploading and mapping crime and traffic data on its website.
"I think it'll increase trust in the Police Department," police spokesman Richard Hilgeman said. "I think it'll increase neighborhood watches when they realize the areas we're having issues in. Maybe they step up their involvement in the community and step up their involvement with the Police Department. We've got to have community help."
Metro on 10/14/2016