Whether it’s a crime in progress or an incident that’s been reported, community members can play a crucial role in the safety of their neighborhoods. They can report crime incidents and provide helpful information to law enforcement via online tools that empower them to become experts on their own neighborhood’s unique safety dynamics.
For example, the NYPD’s weekly CompStat reports offer a wealth of data that can help individuals understand the safety landscape in their communities. The data allows residents to assess trends in crime across neighborhoods, compare those rates with citywide averages and see what specific crimes are increasing or decreasing by type. This temporal dimension can provide valuable insights on how criminal activity changes throughout the year and provides a nuanced perspective that can be instrumental in anticipating a potential uptick in crime, for example.
When it comes to homicides, New Yorkers can use the NYC Homicide Map created by ABC7’s data team to view the number of killings in their areas by neighborhood. The map color-codes each neighborhood by its homicide rate, with darker blues showing higher murder numbers. It’s worth pointing out that despite these numbers, homicide remains an extremely low risk for New Yorkers. You are still far more likely to die from high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or a car crash.
While interest in local crime statistics varies by demographics, six-in-ten Black Americans say they are extremely or very interested in underlying causes and broader patterns of local crime (45% vs. 36% of White adults). Overall, more people say it’s easy than difficult to stay informed about these aspects of local crime coverage.