Dec 9 8:11 PM

NYPD alters access to local crime data, raising transparency concerns

An NYPD vehicle outside the New York City Police Department 10th Precinct.
D Dipasupil/Getty Images
The Stream (Al Jazeera)

The NYPD made major changes to how it disseminates information on crimes last week by cutting off a long-standing source of information for residents and introducing a new, high-tech source.

On December 5, news broke that the NYPD had ordered all 77 police precincts to stop giving information to the media on neighborhood crimes and to direct requests to the office of the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information (DCPI). The move has prompted some local publications to discontinue their weekly crime blotters.

A few days later on December 8, the NYPD unveiled a new interactive crime map that enables the public to search and view data on major felonies that occur in the city.

Taken together, what do the two moves mean for local residents and journalists?

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Topics
Crime, NYPD, Police

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