LOS ANGELES - Today the Los Angeles Police Department announced its new features on it’s website, including the introduction of satellite imagery in its popular CrimeMaps feature.
CrimeMaps allows users to view updated crime activity anywhere in the city. It is a part of a suite of applications created by ePolicing™, a partnership of Los Angeles firms Lightray Productions and Psomas. ePolicing™ specializes in web applications for Police Departments across the nation.
“CrimeMaps is consistently one of the most popular features on our website. said LAPD Chief William Bratton. “These latest upgrades are part of an ongoing effort to keep our site ahead of the curve in using technology to be transparent and communicate with the public.”
“Providing crime maps satellite imagery with recognizable landmarks take the maps out of the abstract and something relate citizens to.” said Kimberly Brooks, founder of Lightray and ePolicing™.
Users are also no longer required to input or know a specific address to view the maps. Users can simply drag and zoom into the area of the city they’re interested in to get more information. This marks ePolicing’s integration with the widely-used Google Software which will be available to all the departments ePolicing services. “These new ePolicing features represent continuing advancement of the ePolicing product suite providing better value and capabilities to our customers.” adds Craig Gooch, Vice President of Psomas.
This is an exciting upgrade for CrimeMaps, which was heralded by the LA Times, CNN, and MSNBC as the first of its kind in technology integration and ease of use when it launched in 2006.
Another new feature is LAPDTV.org, an expansion of the site’s capacity to offer videos. In addition to messages from the Chief, the LAPD will offer “Inside the LAPD,” a weekly television series carried and broadcast by LA Cityview 35, the official cable television channel for the City of Los Angeles. LAPDTV.org will also offer a section called “Solve a Crime,” where surveillance videos of crimes caught on tape can be viewed, allowing the public an opportunity to provide information that could lead to a suspect’s capture and arrest. “By employing Google’s video player, LAPDTV.org provides the videos on a system that many users are already familiar with and more universally accessible.” Added Brooks.
