New York City police have made public a tool that maps a week's worth of crime throughout the five boroughs.
Previously, crime data was available on the NYPD's website but only contained categories of major crime, like rape, robbery and murder. Now, the data contains the date, time and specific type of crime.
For example, an interactive map on the website https://compstat.nypdonline.org shows the locations of a reported burglary, a strangulation and two shootings.
Compstat 2.0, as police officials call it, will allow residents to see where crime is happening in their neighborhoods.
The data will be available for a week and then will be replaced with a new week's worth. Historical data will still be available online.
A variation of the tool is also on new smartphones being distributed to patrol officers. The devices contain customized software and mobile apps to provide police with easy access to information.
Two NYPD officers were able to use the new mapping to make an arrest, officials said Tuesday. They listened to a Shotspotter app, which monitors gunshots, and tracked the address in Brownsville, where they found two illegal guns.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said the new crime stat system, combined with the fact that 36,000 officers will be issued smartphones, makes policing faster.
"It's revolutionary," he said.
Even so, knowing where crime happens still leaves New Yorkers with questions.
"Even if they tell me where it is, how they stop the crime is not transparent. It permeates into other areas of crime," said Washington Heights resident Chaveli DeLeon.
