Tracking crimes in real time

DOWNTOWN — Residents can now track crimes occurring throughout the city on the Burbank Police Department’s new online crime-mapping site.

The department launched the mapping system this week, which twice a day updates real-time data about burglaries, robberies, homicides and other crimes.

The searchable database, crimemapping.com, includes the time, date, offense and location of the incident, which is automatically extracted from the Police Department’s catalog.

“It’s a way for our citizens to go online and get really up-to-date information about crime in the city of Burbank,” Police Chief Scott LaChasse said. “And then what we could also do is establish radius maps to really drill down into our neighborhoods to see the type of crime that’s occurring.”

The new technology is expected to better inform residents of what occurs around their homes and businesses, LaChasse said. Active in Glendale, Pasadena and Arcadia, the web application has been credited with engaging citizens, making them more likely to report crimes to authorities.

Among its features is the ability to receive e-mail notifications in specified areas using a crime alert feature. Burbank Crime Analyst Michele Larson said the department eventually settled on posting the full array of crimes involving sex, theft, arson, assaults, burglary, disturbing the peace, drugs and alcohol, fraud, homicide, robbery, driving under the influence and vandalism.

The application is linked to the department’s website, along with detailed instructions on how to navigate between incidents. Those unfamiliar with web applications could also log onto YouTube for additional instructions, officials said.

While exact addresses will not be shown, visitors to the site could narrow down their search to the to the 100-block range so as not to compromise an active investigation, or privacy.

“There is no victim or suspect information available on this website,” Larson said.