CRYSTAL, Minn. — There's a tool being shared on the NextDoor app that shows you crimes happening in your neck of the woods. It's called the Community Crime Map and it works just as it sounds.
Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering says that residents have been concerned about their safety since they've seen an uptick in violent crime over the past three years. In fact, violent crime in Crystal rose nearly 30% from 2020 to 2021. Although the numbers for 2022 are still being tabulated, Chief Revering believes the spike in violent crime will trend down this year.
"I realize that is a scary number for people, however, I don't want them to feel scared," said Chief Revering. "I want them to do the research. I want them to look at the data. I want them to see that even though there is crime here in Crystal, generally overall it is a safe community."
Chief Revering is encouraging residents to use free resources like the community crime map which generates police reports from local law enforcement agencies.
Here's how it works:
You type in your zip code or address and then you can monitor various crimes in your neighborhood like vandalism, burglary, and assault.
The goal is to build trust by being more transparent and to improve communication between police and their citizens.
"I want all of our community residents to look at this," said Chief Revering. "I want them to be able to know and understand what it is that is going on in their community."
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