Greenfield police use website-tracking system to report crime in near real time

Jessica Nowak feels safe bringing her son to Greenfield's Konkel Park.

But she admits, she could be more in touch with what goes on in her community.

"Kind of just get information from other people or stuff like that," she said.

Greenfield Police believe they have a better way.

The department has teamed up with CrimeReports.com to report complaints and incidents in near real-time. Simply clicking on an icon can show you everything from thefts, burglaries or fights in the city.

"There's a case number on there, so if you really wanted to know what was going on, you could come down and file an open records request and get a copy of the report," said Detective Sgt. Chris DeGlopper.

DeGlopper said informing the community empowers them to help police solve crimes.

There's a feature for residents to register their home security cameras.

"The public will not have access to that information," he said.

The map can also show registered sex offenders who live nearby. You can click to see exactly who they are.

"That is very important," Nowak said. "I don't want my child around the wrong people."

For peace of mind, Nowak plans to check out the new way of reporting crime and DeGlopper hopes the community will too.

"Without their help, we may be fighting a losing battle," he said.

Anyone can access Greenfield's crime data, by going to the website and entering in the city's zip-code or name. But, Greenfield residents can register and get specific crime alerts. Information is uploaded twice every day.

The Greenfield Police Department is paying for the service.