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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,July 18,2011 Page 11 "crimemapping;" or by an iPhoneApp downloadable through the iTunes Store; or www.CrimeReports.com at their website. Ms. Mahmud advised that this was her preferred method, as it provided a broader picture and larger screen. At the request of Councilmember Johnson, Ms. Mahmud advised that the data in- cluded that from other jurisdictions and crossover areas, depending on how indi- vidual users preferred to use it. Ms. Mahmud provided a brief overview of how to search for crime data by enter- ing the city, state, date range, and by selecting different incident layers or types of crime; how to create a personalized crime alert for a preferred area (e.g. neigh- borhood or school district); and how it provided a great tool for the Police De- partment to get information via email lists and block captains on crime incidents or alerts. Ms. Mahmud noted that it provided residents the ability to view crime incidents by general area, case number,time and type of crime. Ms. Mahmud advised that this program was part of the LETG Records Manage- ment package, and therefore came at no additional cost to the City or its citizens. Ms. Mahmud noted that, at this time,more than 1,000 cities across North America are sharing crime information through CrimeReports; with several surrounding communities having signed on as well. Ms. Mahmud opined that CrimeReports was an excellent opportunity for the Police Department to partner with the public in proactively fighting crime at a neighborhood level; and that it provided a better and more cost-effective method for accessing that data rather than the expense of GIS training for staff. Ms. Mahmud further opined that this was a great tool for virtual block clubs. Discussion among Councilmembers and staff included how the data was conti- nually updated through one laptop by the City's Information Technology (IT) De- partment almost as soon as a report is filed; encouragement for staff to get the word out to residents on this tool; collection of accumulated data from the system depending on how it was filtered; and ease of use, as acknowledged by Council- member Pust who downloaded the program to her iPhone during the discussion. Mayor Roe expressed his personal interest in how easy the program was to use; and how it provided another way for residents to access information. In continued discussion on the e-block club concept, Mayor Roe encouraged staff to work with block captains to point people to the program. Ms. Mahmud advised that there would be an article in an upcoming city newslet- ter consisting of an actual interview with a block captain; and further advised that a number of block clubs were using e-mail communications and developing vir- tual block clubs; opining that is offered an exciting opportunity and another ave- nue for community connections.