By Allison White
Times-Standard
EUREKA, Calif. — The online presence of the Eureka Police Department has recently expanded with new features added to its Web site, including month-to-month statistics and pictures of wanted suspects.
Eureka Police Chief Garr Nielsen said he has long been wanting to update the department’s Web site and is pleased with the results so far. Some of the improvements include downloadable citizen complaint and commendation forms; detailed information on each division in the department; press releases; a monthly poll; and monthly statistics called the “dashboard.”
“It’s greatly expanded over what it was a couple months ago,” Nielsen said.
There is also a link on the department’s home page to the CrimeReports.com map of reported crimes in Eureka. Similarly, there are now pictures of wanted suspects online, under the headings “Do You Know This Crook?” and “Wanted Persons.”
Previously, the EPD site just had basic information on the department and was essentially “worthless” to the public, Nielsen said.
“It was wholly inadequate to the level of service we provide,” he said.
The expansion of the Web site is part of the department’s overall goal of improving communication and transparency within the community, he said. Many people look for information online and this should help provide them some answers, he said, adding that it will not take away from the face-to-face time officers already provide.
Nielsen said he gave broad directions to Sgt. Jim Armstrong for possible improvements to the site a few weeks ago and significant additions have been made.
Armstrong said he worked on the EPD’s original Web site and taught himself how to use HTML to create some of these same features about five years ago. However, when the site was transported to the city’s domain, many of those attributes were lost in the process.
The bonus of working through the city’s Web domain is the software makes it easier to add updates.
“It’s more plug and play,” Armstrong said.
The site’s main purpose is to give residents information and allow them to “have a better understanding of what we do,” Armstrong said.
Even more features are on the way, he said, including a delineation of victims’ rights and possibly information on missing persons.
“There’s definitely more to come,” he said. “It’s by no means finished.”
Copyright 2009 Eureka Times-Standard