RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond Police Chief Ray Tarasovic said the department's new online crime database will not only add a level of transparency to what police do, but he said he hoped it would help encourage neighbors to take a more active role in community policing.
"We're not trying to hide crime, we want people to know what's going on in their communities," Chief Tarasovic said.
The crime database -- called RAIDS Online -- maps and analyzes city crime.
The Richmond Police Department touted the following features:
- Map – Crime type, street-level address, location type and date & time are displayed.
- Data Grid – Columns of crime data can be sorted using several variables.
- Analytics – Graphs help users visualize crime trends in their area using a variety of parameters.
- Metadata – Information highlights the source and accuracy of points on the map which improve transparency and trust in the information.