By Sarah Calams
Police1
OCEANSIDE, Calif. — In an effort to increase transparency and awareness in the community, the Oceanside (Calif.) Police Department launched a crime-mapping tool to help prevent crime and reduce fear.
The department is using FirstWatch, which shows calls for service over the previous 12 to 48 hours, Fox5SanDiego.com reported.
“It activates the community as a whole to be vigilant and to take care of not only themselves but their neighbors,” Oceanside PD Cpt. Sean Marchand said.
The map also informs community members about what kind of incident is taking place. The technology was funded by the half-cent Measure X sales tax revenue, an initiative passed in 2018 to enhance public safety, according to the report.
For officers’ safety, incidents do not populate on the map until they have left the scene and confidential information is not included.