WHY DO THE POLICE REPORTS DIFFER FROM THE MONTHLY CRIME STATISTICS?
The police reports shown on the map are the initial reports of crimes in the city. Often on further investigation, the crime report will be shown to be unfounded, or the crime type will change. Additionally, there are a great number of activities reported that, while suspicious (such as prowling), may not be true “crimes”. These will not show up on the final monthly crime statistics. The 9-1-1 Response Map and Police Report Maps both present a short-term view of crime: they provide a good sense of what is reported to be going on in a neighborhood, or in the city at any time. They are also good for seeing patterns of types of crimes happening (such as an unusual amount of reported bike thefts in your area). The monthly crime statistics provide a longer-term view. They give a much better measure of overall safety in an area by providing ongoing, trackable patterns of crime over time.
