Crime Tracker Key For Safety

Knowing which crimes are happening and where is a huge first step toward making you and your family safer. 

Thursday, March 12th 2009, 10:17 pm

By: News On 6

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Knowing which crimes are happening and where is a huge first step toward making you and your family safer. Newson6.com has a new feature called Crime Tracker. It lets you search your address and immediately find out which crimes happened nearby.

People often call before they buy a house or rent an apartment, wanting to know if the neighborhood is safe or has a lot of crime. Now, it's very easy for everyone to find the latest stats.

Linda Mason works at The News On 6 and feels her neighborhood is pretty safe.

"We have a neighborhood watch. We're supposed to call our contact if we have any crime, so it's probably pretty safe," said Linda Mason.

When her address was put into Crime Tracker, Mason wasn't surprised about the home break-ins, but some other crimes caught her off guard.

"That one's scary right there, homicide murder," said Linda Mason.

Mason learned a murder happened just eight blocks away on January 23rd at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Tulsa Police say a teenage boy shot and killed a 41-year-old man after they got into a fight over smoking inside the apartment.

Mason also learned there are nearby robberies, some of them involving guns.

"I'm going to tell my neighbors about it, too. Everyone is in the neighborhood watch. They'll love this thing," said Linda Mason.

To use Crime Tracker, you enter an address and the color-coded markers will let you see how many murders, robberies, burglaries, assaults, sex crimes, auto thefts and arsons happened nearby.

The stats are updated every month for six cities, so far. Additional cities will likely be added in the near future.

Information is power. If you know burglars are hitting your area, you can make sure your doors and windows are locked and your alarm is set. If the problem is car thefts, park in the garage or use a wheel lock.

"The more people know what's going on around them, can be even more vigilant in their safety and keeps you from being victims," said Tulsa Police Deputy Chief Mark McCrory.