AUSTIN, Texas — An interactive map is set to help people in Austin track crimes.
"It helps them be proactive," said Sara Davis, IT geospatial analyst, senior. "You may hear rumors in your neighborhood about people's cars being broken into or something like that, and you can go to the map and see if it's true or not."
People can find the map on the City's website.
Davis said the Austin Police Department crime search map is user-friendly.
"I think so," said Davis. "There is a whole help ribbon up at the top that helps you navigate ... where to zoom in and zoom out to configure your searches."
She explained that, once people have the map open, they can choose if they want to search by address, intersection or street, along with other options, including city council district or ZIP code.
Then, people choose the date range and the type of crime.
"Or you can do a general citywide search, which is a thematic map by ZIP code or census tract, which is better for looking at a year's worth of a particular crime," said Davis.
Davis said she thinks the Crime Viewer will empower people to be able to see what's going on in their neighborhoods.
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