BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — The Broken Arrow Police Department debuted a new tool to help keep the public informed about crime in their neighborhoods.
'Crimemapping.com' is easily accessible via phone or computer and allows users to search an address to view crime in specific areas. This updated search engine comes after the department's previous system was phased out in 2022.
Police Chief Brandon Berryhill said while they always provide information to the public when asked, it is also productive to have something like this available at the public's fingertips.
"It's very important for people to look for themselves, because the biggest thing we do is education," said Berryhill. "Letting people know that unlocked cars is the number one crime we have as far as things being stolen, most guns are taken out of unlocked cars."
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Longtime business owner Patsy Terry of Arrow Flowers and Gifts said after living and working in the area for about four decades, she feels safe in the community. Terry said with that development does come more opportunity for criminal activity, but with technology like this, it makes it easier to manage.
"I just I feel comfortable that if anything happens, the police are just a few minutes away," said Terry. "They're very in tune to what's going on, and they take care of things."
Berryhill said this system is much more user friendly than the previous software and will serve as an added layer of protection to citizens.
"If you know what's going on in your neighborhood, you can look out for those things," said Berryhill. "If you know you have car burglaries, and you know there's a car down the street that doesn't belong there, if you'll call us we'll come out and check that out. If there's no crime being committed, no big deal, but unless you know what you're looking for, you don't know how to protect yourself and your neighbors."
There are filters for sorting and searching, to find specific instances across the community. Crimemapping.com will allow users to look at records as far back at six months.
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