Via GeekBrief.tv, which reported they found out about this via TechCrunch, I found out about SpotCrime. SpotCrime has a map based display of crime information, which they are making available for several Arizona cities. The web site allows you to search by reported crime type, which they show on the map, for a given time period. The default display shows crimes from all categories in the last 2 months.
For people that are considering a move to a new neighborhood, this could be one way you are able to gather crime information, to help you in your decision making.
In the Phoenix area, SpotCrime covers Glendale, Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, and of course Phoenix. Surprisingly, Tempe isn’t on their list. FYI, SpotCrime also covers Tucson.
I did some sample searches and found their data seems to only go back to January 1, 2008. My own office building in North Scottsdale was broken into around Thanksgiving of 2007, and for accuracy, was hoping to check to see if that crime would be on the map. Unfortunately, since they don’t have 2007 data, I couldn’t confirm it.
The map displays the 300 most recent data points, which is something to keep in mind, particularly for a large city like Phoenix. Below the map you can see the address and date for every data point, so you do know when the data gets cut off.
