New online tools for tracking crime in Rock Hill neighborhoods

The Rock Hill Police Department has released an updated crime mapping dashboard that officials hope will provide city residents and visitors information that is easier to access and use concerning crime in the city.

The map data is accessible through the City of Rock Hill website and features visual tools for citizens to view specific data in a number of different ways. And unlike the previous crime mapping data, “this is live data,” said Capt. Mark Bollinger, spokesman for the Rock Hill police. “It gets dumped down from our computer software system.”

Bollinger said the updated map is much more user friendly. “This is going to be easier for anybody, even if they don’t use a computer a lot,” Bollinger said.

Citizens can select a specific area to view, even as specific as a particular neighborhood. The density map, like a weather map, shows areas most affected by crime. The date range tab lets viewers select a specific date or a date range.

In addition to viewing specific neighborhoods, viewers can examine incidents by type of crime; can create a radius around a specific address; view information on registered sex offender addresses or review crime trends via analytic features such as bar graphs and pie charts. The city hopes the new data tools allow residents and visitors to get an accurate view of crime trends in Rock Hill.

“Sometimes people get on the website and just think Rock Hill is the Wild West, which isn’t the case at all,” Bollinger said. “We have a very safe city but are still a city, so we do have a lot of crimes.” Shoplifting and car break ins are the two most prominent crimes in the city.

The website allows citizens to sign up for email alerts with the option of receiving notifications daily, weekly or monthly. Viewers can also check what type of crime updates they want to receive.

The map can be helpful for police if neighbors may have witnessed suspicious behavior. “We want to share information and also get feedback from citizens,” Crime analyst Damien Williams said.

Williams said the map can be helpful to people who might live outside of the city but have a business or family within the city.

The map also is accessible on SmartPhones through the RHPD app.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 8:53 PM with the headline "New online tools for tracking crime in Rock Hill neighborhoods."