How Bad's Your Neighborhood? Find Out Online

Neighborhood Watch just got a digital upgrade, reports the AP. CrimeReports.com, the brainchild of a suburban DC dweller who accidentally let a burglar into his apartment building, mines police logs for data on crimes and plots them all on Google maps. Users can set up email alerts to keep tabs on criminal happenings going on around them.

The site is free for users, but police pay $100-$200 a month for the privilege of letting CrimeReports.com mine their logs. One Salt Lake County sheriff said it was a good investment. “For people to have faith in law enforcement, they need to feel we’re divulging all we possibly can,” he said. But even the site's founder admits the information could have unintended consequences, like fostering paranoia. (More crime stories.)