With Retail Angle, Will Crime.com Pay?

One week after crime information site APBNews.com fired 140 employees because it couldn’t raise money from investors, Court TV and the creator of the “Cops” television series launched their own crime news Web site.

Crime.com offers crime headlines, along with “entertainment” features on car chases and drug busts and information such as travel warnings and crime statistics. The site even allows visitors to search databases of prison inmates and conduct pre-employment background checks.

But the New York-based site, which has 22 employees in Santa Monica, has a potentially promising e-commerce angle. After loading up on news of criminal activity, visitors might be more likely to click to buy pepper spray, bike locks and doorstop alarms.