Rutherford County citizens may learn about crime in their neighborhoods under a new free online crime map called RAIDS Online (www.raidsonline.com) that shows locations and analyzes crime data, said Sheriff Robert Arnold.
WGNS Tested the Crime Map:
WGNS dived into these crime maps to see how well they worked. We found they took an extended period of time to load and they were not 100% accurate, when comparing arrest information we have reported on in the past to the map. We also found the map would not allow residents to see the exact address of where the crime occurred. For example, if you type in Thompson Lane and a list of offenses are found, the map only shows the first number of the address in question. If an arrest happened at 359 Thompson Lane, the map would only show 3-X-X.
More on the Map:
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and BAIR Analytics Inc. partnered to produce the maps allowing citizens to stay informed about crime, the sheriff said. The program may alert citizens about crimes in their area.
Citizens may view a map and grid with all of the crimes in their area, sign up for recent crime activity and submit tips by clicking on the Help link. RAIDS Online automatically syncs with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office’s records system to keep crime information updated online and in the mobile app.
“We are giving citizens information so they can be aware of crimes occurring in their neighborhoods and take precautions,” Sheriff Arnold said.
To access the crime map, go to www.raidsonline.com:
· Click on the state of Tennessee.
· Select Rutherford County.
· Chose a crime from the display on the left side of the page or select all.
Users may select a date of the search. They may select other categories such as zip codes or population density. However, the sex offenders’ list was not available on this program.
Sheriff Robert Arnold implemented the Crime Analysis Unit in September and named Lt. Larry Pace to collect, organize, analyze and map crime “hot spots” in the county and give the information to patrol deputies for increased visibility.
“It is quite a process in getting our data from our records management system, cleaning up the data, geocoding the incidents, and putting it on a map,” said Lt Pace. “It is our desire to use this analyzed data in reducing crime throughout the county. We accomplish this by giving our management the information they need to allocate our resources and by using tools such as RAIDSOnline to educate and alert our citizens of crime that is happening in areas they reside in and areas they frequent in.”
Sean Bair, founder of BAIR Analytics said RAIDS Online cleans and geocodes the crime data, then displays all of the incidents on a map, grid and analytics dashboard along with some basic information about the incidents, including the type of crime, location type, block-level address, date and time.
“The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office’s participation in RAIDS Online highlights their commitment to proactive communication with the public they serve,” said Bair. “We’re excited to partner with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office to provide this free service for their public.”
RAIDS Online Mobile empowers citizens to better understand crime trends and lower crime in their area. Recent crime incidents are displayed on a map or listed in a grid. Users can click on an incident for more information or display a hotspot map based on the crimes that are currently in display.
Users can also sign up for neighborhood watch reports that automatically email any recent crime activity on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. The app makes all of this information accessible anywhere from a user’s mobile device. The RAIDS Online Mobile app is available for free on the App Store.
Typically, agencies can spend thousands of dollars annually through other crime mapping providers. BAIR Analytics offers RAIDS Online and the RAIDS Online Mobile app as a free service to any law enforcement agency that wishes to participate.
“We wanted to do something to help law enforcement in these tough economic times. We consider this a basic service that we are more than happy to provide to the public and our law enforcement friends,” said Bair, a former police officer and analyst.
Source:
Lisa Marchesoni, Public information officer, Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
