See Where Crimes are Happening in Novato in This New Police Feature

By Bay City News Service:

Novato residents now have access to an online map depicting crime data in various areas of the city.

The BAIR Analytics public crime map, RAIDS Online, allows police to share crime date with residents to raise their awareness about the crimes that are prevalent where they live with the goal of reducing crime and improving public safety, police Sgt. Michael Howard said.

“Crime mapping helps the public get a better idea of the crime activity in their area so they can make more informed decisions related to crime trends and safety,” Howard said in a news release.

The data is displayed to be informative and protect victims’ privacy. The map displays icons for various types of crime including murder, theft, vehicle theft, arson, assault, aggravated assault commercial and residential burglaries, DUI and minor offenses such as shoplifting.

The map online today includes dozens of crimes, mostly thefts, burglaries and robberies between the area south of the Marin County Airport to Sausalito, most of which were clustered along the U.S. Highway 101 corridor rather than in outlying areas.

RAIDS Online also automatically alerts the public who subscribe for updates about recent crime activity.

Howard said it empowers the public to make better decisions about crime and analyze and interpret crime activity by using the same technology used by law enforcement.

“Availability of this information raises the community’s collective awareness and allows the public and their police department to work collaboratively to identify and address criminal activity and emerging trends,” Novato Police Chief Jim Berg said.

RAIDS Online is available at http://www.raidsonline.com/?address=Novato,CA.