Crime maps available on ASU police website

Information about where crimes have occurred on Arizona State University campuses is now available with a simple click of a mouse.

The ASU Police Department implemented an online system that enables students, faculty and staff as well as members of the general public to see where crimes have occurred on campus. The information is available at the police department’s website under “crime reports.” 

“Although ASU is a safe place overall, the ASU police department wants to make sure that students, faculty, staff and parents are able to readily access available information about crimes that occur on all ASU campuses in the easiest way possible,” said ASU Police Department Chief John Pickens.

Crimes on each of the university’s campuses are marked on the maps and users can search for different types of crimes such as thefts or assaults. They can also search according to time periods if they know when a crime occurred.

“Statistics indicate that campuses are safe environments as compared to local communities,” said ASU Police Department Officer Brian Kiefling. Crimes that occur most frequently at the university include thefts of items such as bikes, laptops and property left in unlocked vehicles. These are considered crimes of opportunity.

The new online tool will enable students, faculty and staff as well as members of the general public to see where crimes have occurred.

“They can just get online now and look it up,” Kiefling said. “There are quite a few campuses across the country using this online tool.”

Crimes are identified through Google maps that are available in topographic, satellite or terrain formats. Crime analysis charts that are also accessible through the new crime reports online service show the number of crimes, individual crimes as a percentage of total crime and crime trends. Users can also choose to receive crime notifications through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter through the site.

Clicking on a crime icon on the map reveals a box that shows the location of the crime, the date it happened, time and report number. The map is updated on a daily basis.

For more basic tips on staying safe, go to uabf.asu.edu/police_safetytips.